Piroschkis
by Potatogirrrl
Summary: The relationship of Russian Fairy and the Kazakh Prince after the Grand Prix Competition ended - slow burn, from friends to lovers. The truth is they don't have any idea what is going on either \ (ツ) /
1. Chapter 1

The alarm went off at 5 A.M. sharp and he got out of the bed, ignoring the darkness from the room. He pressed the button with one swift move and got up from his bed, stretching on the way to the bathroom. He was always sleeping curled, on a side and he knew it was bad for his posture but he simply couldn't fall asleep any other way. His short hair was rather messy so he took the orange elastic and tied it in a ponytail so it wouldn't bother him anymore. A shower and then his routine: 20 Releve Plie, 20 Parallel Pile Pulse, 30 Rond de Jambe, 50 Arabesque lifts. He started doing ballet when he turned four so it was not hard to push it to the extreme, especially now when he had little time. Today he started high-school and his schedule was overturned by education but he couldn't ask private teachers because they didn't have the money. He was the only one providing for his family from skating and ballet and they needed food, facilities and money for his training/costumes/shoes.

His exercises were done in silence, like usual in the morning and after he was done with them he realized it was already 7 AM and his grandfather was probably up.

"Yura, breakfast is ready!" The hoarse voice of an old man collided with his door and he got up, tiptoeing to the kitchen.

"Morning" He mumbled and his grandpa nodded, placing the plate in front of him and sitting at the table himself. There was coffee but Yuri was having none for he was not a fan. Instead, he took the bottle of water and poured himself some, drinking it before beginning to eat.

"There's nothing shameful in starting high school later" Grandpa said and Yuri nodded. He was a year later and he knew it was weird in the eyes of the others. "Most teens haven't done what you've done so far" He nodded again. "I've made some piroschki for you"

"Thanks!" The blonde smiled, taking the paper bag that he stuffed inside his leopard print backpack. "I'll go and change" he announced and hurried towards the room in search for a black large hoodie and some sweat pants. They didn't have a uniform so he decided to wear what he wore on a daily basis until then. Sneakers on, headphones on and after he said goodbye he played music until he reached the damned grey building. They were not living in a big city so it was a mediocre building, probably filled with mediocre people. "Fuck this shit" he mumbled; he spent all his life running away from mediocrity. He's got the name of the headteacher of his supposed-to-be-class so he went to the secretary and asked where he could find the woman. He presented himself to the blonde woman and tried not to frown to bad when she said he was supposed to present himself because school started a week ago. Well, it wasn't his fault he had to participate and win the Russian Olympics.

When he entered the class there were more than 20 people talking and yelling and his annoyance hit the roof. He didn't have the time for this kind of bullshit. The teacher yelled so she could catch their attention and an awkward silence enveloped the room while everyone turned to look at his frown. Well, fuck them.

"This is your new classmate, Yuri Plisetsky" the teacher said and he did a simple wave, before picking a place to sit. Everyone began to murmur and he knew they recognized him from the TV and magazines. No one approached him that day but he could swear some of them took pictures of him. He sat alone at lunch and ate his piroschkis which were delicious and after the classes ended he hurried towards the skate-rink where he was usually working with Yakov. No one was there so he began doing his exercises and skating around in circles, trying some of his jumps to make sure he still could do it. It was the first season he was allowed to make such complicated jump but he's been nothing but professional so far.

"Yuri, you're early" Yakov said, entering the place.

"You're late, old pig!" He yelled and the man sighed, ordering him to do as many triple axels as he could. He managed them all and soon his teammates arrived and they followed the usual path until night-fell and he got home where grandpa was already sleeping. After the Olympics his life turned monotone, he didn't want to accept but he kinda missed Viktor and Yuri along with the other fuckers. Now everyone was back in their own country and it was fucking boring. He took a shower and jumped in bed, deciding to check his Instagram. It seemed everyone was having fun, they were either with their families or visiting or training. Only he was the high-school loser. He wanted to grow up already. He liked a few pictures, commented some other and then something pinged and he looked to see he had a new message. It was from Otabek Altin and it wrote "Hi". He stared at the screen a little bit confused and wrote a "hi" back.

Otabek was the first person to ask if he wanted to be his friend. As he never had one before, Yuri was confused. What were you supposed to do with a friend? Put it in a jar and make some holes so he could breathe? His relationships with humans were complicated, that's why he preferred felines. Another ping.

 _OtabekAltin_ : How was the first day of high school? He sighed. Deplorably.

Yuri Plisetsky: I hope they all die and go to hell.

 _OtabekAltin:_ High school sucks compared to college. Otabek was old enough to be in his first year of college, he was studying English which was rare for Kazahstan, the country he was from. In fact, he was living on his own in Astana which was the capital.

 _Yuri Plisetsky:_ ... How the fuck should I know that? A few minutes of thinking for a proper answer. The truth is, he was kind of lonely and there weren't many people wanting to talk with him. Otabek was weird, he suddenly appeared and told him they took ballet classes together when they were younger and asked if they were gonna be friends. Out of the blue.

 _OtabekAltin:_ Were they mean? Yuri growled lowly.

 _Yuri Plisetsky_ : Don't need your pity. Like I give a fuck about what they are.

 _OtabekAltin:_ Had training today? Yuri sighed and rolled on his tummy and rested his head on a pillow, making Sofyia, his cat, stir and come close to him. She began purring for attention so he petted her a bit until he started to type.

 _Yuri Plisetsky_ : Yes, tomorrow ballet too.

 _OtabekAltin_ : You take ballet seriously. Well, yes, it was an alternative and it made him very flexible for ice-skating. Also, he was not satisfied with only two or three competitions per year and he needed another hobby.

 _OtabekAltin:_ How many years?

 _Yuri Plisetsky:_ 12 now.

 _OtabekAltin:_ That's a lot. Are you coming to ISU Challenger Competition? It was held in Moscow and it was held 2 months later. He was planning on participating because it was light and fun after all the stress he's gone through with the last competition.

 _Yuri Plisetsky:_ Yea, I'm gonna win.

 _OtabekAltin:_ Not if I'm participating. Yuri smirked. The older bastard had some guts.

 _Yuri Plisetsky:_ It's a bet then. He didn't know what else to say and soon he received a video. He tapped on it and saw it was with cats doing random stuff, like making Christmas trees fall off or being scared by cucumbers. He got his laptop and signed in before watching it til the end.

 _OtabekAltin_ : Saw this and it reminded me of you. Thank God he was alone because he felt his face heating and yelped, annoyed. No one said these kind of stuff before to him, it was weird to hear those from him but maybe it was normal in a friendship.

He couldn't remember the last time he went so late to sleep. He must've fallen asleep around 2, Otabek too because they kept small-talking and accidentally touched the subject "cats" so because of Yuri they couldn't see the end of it. When he woke up he was the absolute zombie but he's done his routine and then went to school where he fell asleep in the middle of History class. Who needed that bullshit anyway? He kept his phone close but there was no trace of message so at lunch he decided to turn it off until after ballet. At lunch he went to pick some food and then a table where he began eating, all in silence. It was annoying.

"Is this seat taken?" He looked up to see a black-haired guy, a lot taller than him, with glasses. He shook his head.

"The other 4 are free too" He mumbled sarcastic and the guy laughed. He continued to eat without asking/saying anything.

"So you're really Yuri Plisetsky" Yuri nodded and took another bite from the potatoes. "That's awesome, dude, you're like a celebrity" He shrugged his shoulders. "Your fans are called Yuri's Angels, right?"

"More like devils" he grunted and the guy laughed again. They were always chasing him and taking pictures of him and wearing those cat-ears.

"So you delayed school for skating?" He nodded. "Are you still training?"

"Of course, my career is only at the beginning, I will be the best skater of all times" He said loud enough for a few to turn their heads. He glared at them rudely and they resumed their previous conversations/activities.

"I'm Dimitri, by the way" The blonde nodded at him and the boy smiled. "We have the same Geography class" Whatever he said. The guy continued to bug him but it was a nice type of bugging, he was not rude or anything and the truth was he was feeling kind of lonely. He kept asking him if he knew the other skaters, if it was true he had a close relationship with Viktor Nikiforov, the former best skater, how many countries he's visited so far, trivial things anyone would have asked if they weren't afraid. "I was thinking about going out after school, wanna come?"

"Training" Yuri said bored and the other gasped.

"How much do you train a day?"

"Depends. On a week day four hours of skating, three if there are two hours of ballet too and 7 on the weekends" The other guy opened his mouth shocked, he couldn't imagine doing something so exhausted for so many hours. He realized the guy was stunned so he stopped his chewing. "What?"

"That's a lot" It wasn't easy when you wanted to be the best. "Can I come see you training sometimes?" Why not? After he accepted he picked his trail and sent it to the cleaning room and then headed for Math where he tried not to fall asleep once again. Then skating. Yakov must've slept bad too because he exhausted them, demanding the highest jumps and the most complicated turns. He was in a straddle, his foot behind his neck when he turned on his phone and took a big gulp of water. As soon as he got online his phone pinged. It was a GIF with a cat saying hi and it was from Otabek. His ears got red by the time he answered with a simple hi. He explained he was at training but one thing lead to another.

"No messaging during training, Plisetsky" Yakov yelled and the 15 yo almost dropped his phone.

"Shut up, old man, I'm coming in a minute!" He left his phone down after a quick bye and then went back to business. Ballet broke his back so once he got home he had a shower, had a nice talk with his gramps and then went straight to sleep, announcing Otabek about all those. The next few days they kept texting back and forth. When he woke up, he was messaging Otabek or the other way around, at school, at night, sending silly videos of cats. He sometimes thought of calling him but it was too weird, he guessed. One day he got out of the shower when his phone rang and he picked it up by reflex, wondering if it was one stupid skating mate.

"Hi" It was Otabek's low voice that made him drop the towel he was holding and check that his door was closed.

"Hi" he said a little unconvinced. "How're you doing?" It was uncharacteristic but it was all he could get out because he was feeling weird.

"I just finished training and I was on my way home, have you listened to that song I've sent you?" It was a indie rock song that he enjoyed a lot so he replied with a short yes and they began talking about it for a while. He was walking fast because he was breathing hard, not that it was bothering Yuri.

"Are you living far?" He held the phone with his shoulder while tying his hair in a ponytail, his bangs too.

"5 more minutes, am I keeping you from anything?"

"Nope" Yuri said simply, looking at himself in the mirror. He was wearing his black pajamas.

"Have you eaten today?" What a weird question.

"Yes, grampa made me piroschki again" The other one chuckled.

"Those seem to be your favorite" The blonde suddenly was enthusiastic.

"They are if they're made by him! I will bring you some at ISU"

"Thanks" Another few minutes in silence. "I've just reached the apartments, I'mma text you after I take a shower"

"Okay, bye" Yuri hung up and then went to his grandpa who was reading a magazine. They made sure they spent as much time possible together everyday. Grampa was his only family; his father was not there when he was born and when he was only a toddler his mother ran away too so he felt nothing towards them, instead he put all his love in the old man who took care of him and encouraged him in everything. Nikolai Plisetsky was not a soft man but he raised Yuri as he could and never stood between the boy and his dreams. The next few weeks passed just the same and his discussions with Otabek turned deeper and longer. It was a week before the ISU when a package came for him and he signed the paper confused, wondering what was inside. He was sure he didn't order anything. He cut the paper off with his nails and found inside a backpack that was like the head of a tiger and began to hyperventilate around the room because it was "purrfect". Inside that thing was a note that wrote: _I am waiting for the piroschkis, may the best win!_ There was no signature but he knew too well who sent it.


	2. Chapter 2

The doors opened and inside came a middle-aged woman, her eyes almost closed because of the tiredness and her mouth gasping because she just had her morning run. It was five in the morning and she's been hurrying so she could have the ice-rink for herself but she didn't have this luck for inside was a short blonde boy who was practicing his double axels. It was Yuri Plisetsky and he looked like he hasn't been sleeping at all.

"Damn, Yuri, at what hour did you wake up?" The boy stopped and came to the edge to look at her. He was not wearing his skating suit.

"Just did" he pointed towards the changing rooms. "I fell asleep here" He's been staying up again, he never realized when the time passed so when he found himself on the rink at 2 AM he decided there was no point in going home anymore. He went to pick his bottle of water and drank some as Nadia, the other skater put her shoes on and tasted a few steps on ice.

"Tomorrow you're leaving for St. Petersburg?" He nodded. He was going to be the best there, he simply knew that. "Still going to school today?"

"Fuck yes, I got a test or some shit" he muttered beginning his short sequence. "You're going to St. Petersburg?" The girl shook her head a little disappointed and continued her work. He knew he touched a soft spot but he didn't bother to excuse himself or anything, he continued his work, tripping a few times as he had little sleep. When two hours passed he got his shoes off and changed them for baskets, happy that he had a change of clothes in his closet. He spent so much time there that he had a change of everything. It was a leopard print pullover and a pair of jeans that he changed in and took his new tiger backpack that had enough papers and notebooks in. "Good luck, Nadia!" he wished as he walked out the building. Once he saw it was snowing outside he began to run towards the school, considering part of the morning practice.

The first class was Math and he couldn't roll his eyes enough for that. He took his place and stood in silence, waiting for the teacher. It was not like he learnt anything for this stupid test but he managed to do something and during lunch break he was almost a ghost, eating without realizing while thinking about his short program. He was chewing some fried potatoes when someone sat by him and he realized it was that dude from before, Dimitri who's been constantly talking to him ever since that first day week ago.

"Hi" he muttered and turned his Instagram on, wanting to check his notification. He published a picture of Sofyia and it got 8.000 likes or something, being filled with tons of comments. She was sitting next to his backpack in the picture. Just when it was turned on the chat began to buzz and he rolled his eyes. It was Viktor who said "Look at this cutie!" and posted a pic of his and Yuri's new dog that was the same breed like Makkachin.

"Is that really Viktor Nikiforov?" The guy asked and Yuri nodded just when Pichitt posted a picture of his hamsters. Was this a fucking competition or something about who had the nicest pet? Because Sofyia was sure the one to win. "Are you friends with the Japanese Yuuri too?" He nodded. "Otabek Altin?" He nodded fiercer. He was the only "friend" if that was what they were talking about, the others were just acquaintances, people he met only because they were in the same competitions. Just then his phone buzzed and the name "Otabek" appeared on the screen with the short message "hi". He grabbed and typed a hello back and then erased it to a hi.

He sighed.

"You don't look that good"

"I had an all-nighter skating" Well, he had three hours of sleep but it was not the same. The boy nodded, a little confused and Yuri picked his phone up again, another message from the Kazakh.

 _OtabekAltin_ : School?

Yuri took a picture of his pissed face with a surprised Dimitri in the background and sent it with the caption "Yep, this guy's almost getting on my nerves"

 _OtabekAltin_ : Who's that?

 _Yuri Plisetsky_ : A guy who sits with me for lunch.

 _OtabekAltin_ : Get along well?

Back in Astana Otabek was lying on his bed, a hand under his neck to support his head that was gawking at the lighted screen. He was done with college for the day and he had practice in two hours and as he knew it was a spare hour for Yuri too he hoped they might get to talk but the blonde was obviously not aware of his intentions and he wasn't going to highlight it. For such a wonder kid, the blonde could be very thick. He sighed. There was a two years difference between them, it was not much but it was still bothersome because Yuri was only 15. He was rather mature for his age, thanks to all the training and to his troubling family or rather said the lack of family. For what he's heard from other skaters and from the press his grandpa took care of him ever since he was a toddler and no one knew what happened to his parents; he had no siblings and he's been focused on work ever since he started ballet and skating. Otabek didn't have the nerve to touch such a sensible topic because he felt it wasn't his place to talk, with two sisters and a wealthy family.

But the guy in the background, Dimitri or whatever his name was - he didn't like him. It was irrational so he continued to text Yuri rather monotone, asking about skating plans. Yuri planned to win the ISU so he was training real hard; they were competing at the same category and of course he had high standards for himself too but he was aware of the advantages the Russian had: he was younger, more talented and more flexible while the only thing he had was hard work. He was looking forward to see Yuri again, maybe have a real talk after all this time.

They exchanged messages until he had to get up and prepare himself for training and in all this time Dimitri was peeking as subtle as he could to see the conversation between the two. It was not anything uncommon, he was a little disappointed by the lack of spice from their words but again, Otabek didn't seem the type to get hyped about a lot.

"So you're gonna see each other soon, huh?" Yuri nodded and sipped from his box of apple juice. "Isn't it hard to compete against a friend?"

"Not really, we cheer each other and the best will win" The blonde pressed the box against the table until it was smashed and then grabbed his backpack. "Gotta go, bye" The bell rang and he hurried to the next class, knowing already how boring it will be.

"And the next skater is Yuri Plisetsky, 15 years old, from Russia" The MC announced and Yuri took the headphones out of his ears, doing the final stretching and looking around at the other skaters. He was looking for someone in particular but the Kazakh was nowhere to be found, as he was the last one skating.

"Do your best, pay attention to your jumps" Yakov said taking his phone for him and checking to see if everything was fine with his hair and clothes. He was wearing a blue costume that was matching his icy eyes and that was showing his supple built. He nodded and stepped on the ice, hearing the applauses coming from everywhere and the MCs talking about his early years and his career. He had a bright future ahead, they all said that. Right before starting he looked around in public and saw some dark eyes checking him out from the first row. He knew those eyes too well and the flashy outfit was giving him out so he offered a smug smile before Otabek showed him thumbs up and he was ready to go.

Like always he almost couldn't remember what happened on ice but once he was done his score was amazing and he was almost sure he was going to win, he was ranked number one so far. He went towards the kiss and hug where he was greeted by Yakov who began to scold him for raising both his arms during the last jump, almost missing the landing. Yuri's eyes were bored, he heard those words too many times, so when he saw Otabek's familiar face near the wall he ran to him, pushing the trainer with an arm.

"Otabek!" He yelled startling most skaters. "Oi!" The Kazakh got up from his straddle pose and was surprised when the blonde jumped right into his arms, legs wrapping around him.

"Hi" he gasped at the weight and slowly let the Russian down. "You did amazing" Yuri raised two fingers, making the victory sign. "What about my piroschkis?"

"After skating" The blonde admonished.

"Have plans tonight?"

"Nope"

"Let's eat piroschkis together" The older one offered and Yuri nodded enthusiastic, feeling someone grab his arm – it was Lilia who was waiting her turn to scold him.

"I'll show you around" he offered and the other one nodded, preparing his shoes for skating. After he's seen the Russian's performance he was doubting he was going to get gold but he was hoping for a silver medal. And indeed, a few hours later he was standing on the second stair, holding a silver award around his neck and waving at the cameras. His eyes looked up at the boy holding the gold, his hair flowing over his shoulders as he made faces at the reporters who were asking him things. There were flowers and stuffed animals all over the ice and he saw a teddy bear he was sure he wanted.

Some skaters took all of those things so they could offer them to them after the ovations and the interviews were done. The self-proclaimed Ice Tiger or Russia was having the time of his life, telling everyone how he was gonna win gold at the next competition too and when someone offered him a stuffed cat he wrapped his arms around it. He was taking a souvenir from each skating contest, leaving the rest behind or giving them to fans. Otabek took his bear too and then looked over his shoulder to see if Yuri was done. He was sure of it when he waved at the Kazakh and came closer to nod at him.

"I have to get the piroschkis, meet me outside" He said simply then hurried towards the changing room. Otabek answered a few more questions for a magazine and then grabbed his stuff, heading for his motorcycle that was parked somewhere in the back, where the press or fans wouldn't find it. He was wearing a denim jacket that wasn't thick enough for the temperature in St. Petersburg; it was heavily snowing and everything looked like a sea of white. There were many people on the streets and he began to twiddle his thumbs; He realized he was nervous only when he began fixing his mirrors. "Yo!" Yuri's voice was loud and he turned to see the teen was running breathless towards him. He was holding a paperbag in his hand. "I've left Yakov deal with my stuff" Otabek nodded.

"Your program was great" The blonde thanked and hopped on the motorcycle.

"We're gonna go with this, right?" A long finger pointed towards the vehicle.

"It's a her" Otabek stated and Yuri grinned for a spare second. "Where are we going?"

"A sightseeing point. To eat these" He rose the bag so it was at the Kazakh's eyes level. The taller man grabbed his riding black helmet and placed it on the boy's head, tying it under his chin, making sure it was safe. Yuri muffled some noises before lifting the glass up. "Don't you have one?"

"I am safe" Otabek said simply and stepped on his сүйіктім*, starting the engine. He felt something circle his waist and he felt his ears burning when he realized they were slender arms. He didn't get a sound out, instead he tried to avoid the cars that were on the streets, following Yuri's directives. The city was immense and Otabek lost the track of lefts and rights he's been taking in the last half an hour; they were riding towards the Winter Palace because there were signs everywhere pointing towards it. He was surprised when Yuri said he should continue to drive and 15 minutes later they were near a hill where he was told to stop.

"Here" Yuri said and threw the helmet at him, waiting for him before heading ahead. "These are the Duderhoff heights, we must walk by foot" Both their bodies were aching but no one complained, they were used to the pressure.

"This place is special to you" It was not a question, it was a statement and Yuri simply nodded, continuing his hiking.

"My grandpa used to bring me here a lot when I was little" His voice was breathy. "Now I don't get around so much because we live in the different direction but I like to come here when something's on my mind" Otabek nodded and hurried so they would climb on the same step. "You can see the entire city once you're up. When are you leaving?"

"My flight's tomorrow evening"

"Fancy" Yuri said and Otabek smiled subtle. "I'll show you around until then if you want, where are you staying?"

"At some Hotel, I can't remember the name" Yuri considered asking Otabek to come over at his place for a day or two, he bet his grandpa wouldn't have refused because he never brought a friend home but he was thinking it was a little too forward and it might cause a lot of trouble for others. He was biting his lower lip furiously when the silence fell between them. Maybe another time. "You're not living in the city, are you?" He shook his head, he was living outside it.

"Our house is near the city" Yuri defended himself and Otabek nodded. "Grandpa's house, his parents lived there too" The blonde smiled thinking about his old grandpa and his even older family, he even had a prehistorically sister who was living in Moscow. "You're living alone?"

"My parents bought me an apartment when I started college" He sighed. "But I prefer going home on weekends because it gets kind of lonely" Yuri nodded. He could understand lonely. "How's high school?" The topic was boring and endless so when they reached the top they were still talking about the monstrous math teacher who was making his days sour. They stopped to take small breaths and when Otabek looked up he gasped at the sight of the city lights. They were looking like fireflies as it was twilight and the cold air matched the view. It was impressive, that was for sure so he stepped forward, taking in the sight. "Wow"

"I know" Yuri said enthusiastic and headed for a near bench that was covered in snow. He pushed it all off with his arm and sat down, thankful for the thick material of his jeans. "Here" Otabek came closer and sat next to him, taking the bag he was offered. Inside were piroschkis, he was familiar with them but he wanted to understand why these were so good.

"Thank you" He took a bite and saw Yuri was watching him with big eyes, following his reaction. They were amazing, they were simply melting into your mouth even if they were cold so he nodded at the younger boy, showing him a satisfied expression. That was everything Yuri needed to get his phone out and snap a pictures of them biting piroschkis.

"Can I post it?" Otabek looked over at the picture that was already on Instagram and captioned #piroschkifriends #otaback.

"Do what you want" It took a second to be posted and two more to get 30 likes.

"You should post more often" Yuri mumbled checking his dashboard and finding a picture of Victor and Yuuri kissing. "They're fucking disgusting" He made a vomit motion and Otabek agreed, still busy with the food. "I can't wait to beat their asses at the next Grand Prix"

This subject was a sensible one for the Kazakh for he always hoped he was going home a winner, the pride of his country but he was not even on the podium. After the fail he was considering giving up on his skating careers and trying something else but his family hasn't let him drown in sorrow. Yuri sensed his change of mood so he said nothing else, feeling a little down himself.

"Yuri" He turned his head to look at the taller man who just called him. "Thank you for bringing me here and giving me piroschkis" he murmured and Yuri felt his heartbeat going faster, his face becoming red.

"Well, it's not my hill or anything" he babbled and placed a strand of hair behind his ear. Why the fuck was he all flustered? "I fucking suck, okay? I have no idea how to be someone's friend" he said hurried and stopped so he could see Otabek's face breaking into an image of amusement. He chuckled lowly and Yuri swore he felt something weird crawling under his skin.

"You're doing great so far" Yuri hit a little stone with his shoe, making it jump.

"Bet you're popular back in your country" It was a merely remark, he was looking up at Otabek for that for he never liked people more than felines.

"I have a few friends but that's all"

"How're they?"

"Well, they're the same year as me – Aidana, Sezim, Jordan. I think you would like them but they are a lot louder than me" He liked to hang out with them but there was sometimes too much because they weren't skating and always telling him he was a party pooper when he couldn't hang out because of practice. Also he sometimes needed silence. "Maybe you will come visit Astana" Yuri nodded, interested. Kazakhstan was relatively close and yet he's never visited it and now Otabek was the perfect excuse, especially that they were both skaters and they could train together.

"Come on, we aren't done yet" They visited what they could in one evening, most places were in open air because they were tired of closed spaces. They kept talking small nothings that got them to know each other better. The thing about the two of them was that they could be silent without feeling unsure or uncomfortable at all, they could simply breathe next to each other and it was enough.

"Tell me where your hotel is" Otabek said and Yuri frowned. He hasn't booked a hotel room because his grandpa drove him here and he was supposed to take the train back as it was a one-day competition. He explained all that and the Kazakh frowned, he didn't want to say goodbye just yet. "Wanna come in? I can make some tea" The blonde checked his phone and saw he could have tea and still catch the last train home so he accepted, heading inside.

The woman at the reception couldn't believe her eyes, she was a fan of ice-skating, she was following the tabloids and once she saw them she couldn't get the article about "The Fairy of Russia saved by the Kazakh Prince" out of her head. She gave them the key, though and stared at them until the doors of the elevator closed. Little did she know that inside the elevator the atmosphere was heavy. Yuri couldn't remember the last time he felt so nervous, he was feeling unsure of what he was doing and it was not like him at all. The room was nice, it had a spacious bed covered with many pillows and purple blankets. There was a suitcase opened near the double window where he could see an empty can of juice and some pretzels in a bowl. There were a few clothes on a tall chair and the entire room was looking "alive", obvious with the actions of it's habitant.

As soon as he realized how disastrous the place looked Otabek felt his face heating and he bent to pick the pair of socks he left next to the little wooden table with mirror.

"I wasn't expecting company" Yuri shrugged his shoulders. He knew Otabek was a neat person, it was probably just in the heat of moment that he left such a mess behind, he knew how it was when competition ruled your brain and, along with it, your behaviour.

"Where should I sit?" There was a small coffee table and two chairs too so he sat on one of those and looked around curious. He had no idea what he should look at but when he heard the water boiling he closed his eyes, resting his head against his hand. He felt unusually tired so he picked his phone and dialled "Grampa". It took three rings for the man to answer.

"Yuratchka!" They spoken after he won but it seemed the old man was still hyped about what just happened.

"Hi, Gramps" The teen muttered and looked up to see Otabek pouring water into cups, concentrated and completely ignoring his call. "I just called to say I'm at a friend's place, I'll try to catch the last train" He continued and the man coughed, probably from the many cigarettes he was smoking a day.

"What friend?"

"Otabek, from Kazakhstan, I've told you about him before" He said hurried.

"The one that keeps sending you things?" Well, it's only been a few items but he was the one so he answered with a curt yes and after that the man said he get it, made sure the boy had a key so he could lock the door and wished him to have fun. Nikolai Plisetsky considered himself a quite modern man, especially now that he knew how to handle a "smart" phone his grandchild bought him. He was happy that Yuri had a friend, he never heard him talk about someone so much, whenever he was calling him for dinner he was talking to Otabek, he was texting, having video-calls, he even caught him sighing at times, which was very rare for such a determined person.

"Is he alright with you staying out so late?" Yuri nodded once. Of course he was, he proved that he was a very responsible person so his grandpa trusted that he would take good care of himself. "You don't talk about him a lot"

"He's very important to me" That meant he didn't want to talk about him with just everyone, his grandpa was simply everything he had, the closest person to his soul. "He did everything for me so I try not to upset him"

"That's normal" Otabek agreed and sat on the spare chair. "I only had mint" None of them minded that, as long as they could enjoy a warm drink. It had no sugar so Otabek began to pour some in his, to the point where a normal people would have made diabetes.

"Disgusting" Yuri muttered with a smirk and Otabek smiled.

"I like sweet things" The younger boy wrinkled his nose in disgust, earning another kind smile. "No sugar?"

"No"

"Never?"

"Not never, just not now" Yuri said and sipped from his cup. They were never serious things, it was merely small talk but they were enjoying themselves. The blonde's always been worried that they won't get along in reality as well as they did online but it was not the case and soon he was speaking fast, gesticulating and sometimes even yelling while Otabek was watching him interested, sometimes commenting or taking over the conversation. It was pretty late when they were done and Otabek was feeling a little tired so he thought a shower might make him feel reinvigorated.

"Do you mind if I go for a short shower?" Yuri was lying on his tummy now, on the big spacious bed while checking his Instagram. He had 9.300 likes already on the last picture.

"Nope" He changed his position and continued to swipe through the comments while the Kazakh picked his clothes and went to the bathroom. He didn't like long showers so he tried to keep it up, washing himself and thinking about some other things he wanted to talk about with Yuri. He was anxious that the younger skater was bored by him so he was doing his best to communicate and understand him and his way of thinking. He was a proud and sometimes violent child but he knew it was because of his insecurities and because of the loneliness. He was drying his hair with a towel when he got out of the room.

"Yu-" he stopped when he saw the picture lying in front of him and felt his heart skipping a beat. Yuri Plisetky was curled on his bed, his phone near his head that was where the feet were normally supposed to be. Otabek went to close the window that let the noises get between the walls and that could derange the sleeping prince in his room and took the sight in for another moment. He was looking like a small kid, innocent and careless, though he was nothing like it. He took the phone and sighed – it was not right to make an old man worry so as guilty as he felt, he unlocked the screen and searched through contacts for "Grampa" which was pretty easy because it was the only one on speed dial besides his own. He then picked his phone and saved the number, creating a message towards it.

 _Good evening! I am Otabek, Yuri's friend. I just wanted to let you know he fell asleep so he will spend the night in St. Petersburg. Don't worry about him, have a good night_

He didn't know how the man would react but it was way better than nothing so he placed both phones on the nightstand and picked one blanket, covering the small frame occupying his bed before picking a few more and making a "nest" on the floor. He slept on the floor before, he's been camping, but something about the situation unsettled him and it wasn't necessarily a bad kind of unsettling. He turned on a side and sighed. The last thing Otabek saw before he closed his eyes was a light blonde head.

 _* - that's "darling" in Kazakh_

 _Thank you very very much for reading my story and for the lovely reviews, I will try to update constantly 3_


	3. Chapter 3

His throat was soar, he felt like an animal just died in his mouth and the sun was way too annoying for such an early hour. He opened his eyes slowly, bothered by the light and patted the bed for his phone, surprised when he didn't find it. When he lifted his head, he was still not conscious of where he was or what was going on but spotted his phone and pressed the button to turn it on, looking for the clock on the lockscreen that was a picture of Sofyia. 11:34. When he saw that he became fully awake and began to look around, becoming aware of where he was and of the sleeping body on the floor. He crawled to the edge of the bed and looked closer at Otabek who was sleeping soundly, his hair all over the place while his arm covered his face, probably to protect him from the sun.

Slow steps took him towards the bathroom where he saw that his hair was nowhere near good-looking and he had a trail of saliva on his cheek so he began to rub it off with water, wandering what he could use to brush his teeth and groaned frustrated when he saw it was just one brush, a dark blue one. He couldn't go on with this breath so he just picked the damn thing and cleaned his mouth; he hoped Otabek wouldn't mind it. He tried to brush his hair with his fingers but there was nothing that could be done so he tried to put his hair in a ponytail, failing miserably and making it look very strange – like it's been done by a blind person. He got out of the bathroom and stepped over the still sleeping skater so he could pick his phone, surprised by the lack of reaction from his grandpa. He got on the hall and dialled the number, waiting for the old man to answer.

"Yuratchka, are you done with the training?" The sentence made his stomach drop, it's been a long time since he last skipped practice.

"I just woke up" he whispered. "I slept in, I will come home after I see my friend off, his flight is this evening" He knew his grandpa was neither disappointed nor mad but that didn't mean he felt anyway better, he needed to be the hardworking man of the family.

"Sure, I will prepare katsudon piroschkis tonight" The old man said and Yuri smiled at the though.

"Thank you, grandpa! Talk later" He hung up after he heard goodbye and opened the door very carefully so he wouldn't disturb the silence, surprised when he saw his friend was rubbing his eyes a little confused. He didn't say good-morning, instead he tch-ed at him and went to watch outside the window.

"Good morning" Otabek muttered and gasped when he saw the way Yuri's hair was tied. It was horrific, he was surprised someone with long hair could be so bad at that. It was even longer than it was at the Grand Prix. "Your hair is terrible"

"Well fuck you too" Yuri said annoyed and continued to look outside. He couldn't bring himself to settle his mind. "It's noon, idiot" The brunette looked at him unconvinced and then at the phone that was shoved in his face. "It's the first time I've missed practice in over a year" He was sulking and Otabek couldn't help himself and smiled a little; the Russian even had pillow marks on his face.

"It's alright to take a break from time to time, you just won a very important competition" He tried with a calm voice, still amused by the childish reaction. When Yuri turned around he saw the pain in his eyes and realized he was really killing himself over something so small. "It won't show, let's stretch and then we can go to skate until I leave if you want" Yuri changed in some sweatpants he was offered and soon they were doing their usual routines, listening to music and chatting. Otabek couldn't help but think about how graceful Yuri looked while working, he was like a swan, tall and proud while exhausting himself with the hardest exercises. He was very flexible and it was a bitter memory for Otabek for he was remembering the classes they took years ago when he was the oldest in the class and Yuri was the most praised one, the star. It was not jealousy, it was admiration, there were few people as determined as he was and that was obvious now, more than ten years later. Only 5 people from back then made it big, some gave up after reaching their teen years. He never tried getting closer to Yuri back then, even if he was amazed by the little soldier. He was as pretty as a girl, with big blue eyes and long blonde hair but his voice and reactions were strong, showing his true self.

"But where to skate?" Yuri asked.

"Let's go to a public ice-rink. After breakfast"

"Lunch" The blonde corrected straddling so hard that his leg was pressed against his face. Otabek's flight was at 6 P.M. so they still had a few hours ahead of them. "Did you call grampa last night?"

"I texted" Otabek explained and Yuri nodded. "I'm done" He got up and went to take a short shower and change his clothes, putting on jeans and a black simple t-shirt. When he got back in, Yuri was still stretching, looking funny as he was checking the social media. "Let me help you with your hair" The Russian was unsure but he didn't start with an up-straight "no", instead he sat on the floor and waited for Otabek to sit on the bed, letting him rest his back against his legs so the older could touch his hair. He had a brush in his hand and for a moment Yuri wondered where did that came from but closed his eyes when he felt the gentle swipe of fingers through his blonde strands. They were followed by the brush that was almost as gentle and soon Otabek was plaiting two strands, tying them together in the back and brushing the result so it would stay in place and look smooth. "Done" He murmured and almost smiled when Yuri got up and went to see the results in the mirror, surprised when he saw the complicated-looking braid.

"It looks awesome" he gasped and turned around with shining eyes. "Where did you learn that?"

"I have two sisters and one of them is younger so I used to brush her hair when I was at home" Otabek explained, looking at him one more time before beginning to search in his luggage for a spare hoodie he could borrow the Russian.

"Thanks" He was still taken with the hair so when he was given the hoodie he simply put it in without a reaction. It was dark green and it had two large pockets so it was perfect for him. They had lunch in a quiet and near place and filled their stomachs with easy food before they got out and searched for the closest ice-rink. Russians were famous for their ice-skating so it wasn't hard to find and once they got in Yuri had to borrow a pair of skating shoes and they started with circling the place and trying not to bump into people who were trying to skate for the first time or who were not that good.

"Oi Yuri, help me with the jumps" Otabek said and soon Yuri began his lesson, oblivious to the people who stopped to stare at them and the way they moved. Beside all that they were having fun. At one point the Kazakh was on the ground so Yuri went further and offered him his hand.

"Up, big baby" he said with a grin. "Let's go and have hot chocolate." They stepped aside, ignoring the glances and went to the small shop inside where they ordered two black hot chocolates and sat on a wooden bench, watching the people skating. "I think they discovered us" He pointed towards a group of girls who were taking pictures and blushed as soon as they saw his finger.

"I don't care that much about these things" Otabek shrugged. He was not a very out-going person on the internet.

"It would be fun to see you posting things, though" But what should he post? Yuri got his phone out and snapped a selfie, his face smiling subtly next to Otabek's relaxed one. "Can I post?"

"Do what you want" was the reply so he captioned it with #funtimes #skating #friends. And pressed post. "My profile is almost empty anyway" Yuri sipped from his chocolate.

"It's your fault" He muttered, still connected before letting the phone down. "The only people I know well are travelling around the world so that's the only way I can talk to them" He looked into the chocolate orbs watching him and then away, feeling a little nervous. "Well, I'm with you now" He couldn't tell him he never hanged out like this before and Otabek didn't have the heart to tell him he knew. In middle school Yuri was absent and now high school seemed the same, he was almost entirely focused on skating, he didn't have time for something as trivial as going out with classmates. "So how are your sisters?"

"Tasha is the oldest and she is already married and living with her husband and Yulia is a year younger than you, she talks a lot" He smiled at the memory of the young girl running around and admonishing him whenever he pushed his work too hard.

"I sometimes wondered how it's to have a sibling. I don't know my dad, I haven't even seen a picture of him and mom left when I was four and never came back. She writes letters sometimes but I never opened them" Otabek felt uncomfortable hearing all those, not because he didn't want to know but because he thought about how Yuri felt thinking about it.

"My father is a lawyer and mom is a doctor." His voice was faint.

"Sounds awesome" Well, he didn't have a lot of attention from them but it was nice to know they were there and they were supporting him. "Grampa spoils me, he always tries to make me happy" The blonde smiled sadly and looked down at the plastic cup between his fingers. "Next time you come around you can come over and stay a few days"

"The same goes for you, come visit me in Astana"

"Okay" Yuri showed his thumbs up and then got up, wrinkling the cup. "Let's go skate some more" They stood close as they walked around, doing jumps only from time to time because the space was little and they didn't want to hurt anyone. It was almost 4 when they decided it was time to go and pick Otabek's stuff and then go to the airport.

The place was crowded so Otabek put his glasses on and Yuri his hoodie, trying to go unseen towards the boarding place. They've already left the luggage and now it was time to say good-bye. Yuri was already feeling awkward, wondering what it was normal to do and say in this kind of situations. He looked around and realized his friend was the only one who needed to get in so he turned towards him and frowned, looking downwards.

"Have a good flight" he said with a little voice and Otabek nodded. He wanted to hug the blonde but he wasn't sure how to do that so instead of that he kept staring, until the lady said Otabek Altin was asked to get in as soon as possible.

"Come visit me sometimes" Yuri nodded. "Keep your phone close" He turned around to leave and Yuri opened his mouth, trying to form words that never came out. He didn't know when they were going to meet again so he was sad this was how they were gonna part. Otabek was almost at the gate when he heard fast steps behind him.

"Beka!" He turned around to see a fairly red Yuri Plisetsky jumping to hug him, making him drop his backpack. "Text me when you get home" he mumbled in the thick material and the boy smiled, rubbing his head.

"Okay, you too. See you next time" Yuri gulped, trying to regain his usual posture which was strong and proud. He waved and turned around, almost running outside where snowflakes were falling on the ground, making a blanket of white. He zipped his hoodie and realized it was not his, it was the borrowed one so he grabbed the phone out and texted the owner.

 _Yuri Plistesky: ur hoodie is still on me._

 _OtabekAltin: You can give it back next time._

The Russian looked around to make sure no one paid attention to him and grabbed the hem, pulling it up so he could smell it. It smelled fresh, of soap and green lemons, just like Otabek did. He didn't want to look like a creep so he straightened his clothes and hurried to catch the bus that would take him to the train station. He wanted to get home as soon as possible because he was cold and lonely and all he could think about was how much he wanted to see his grampa. He was lucky and didn't have t wait but half an hour for the train and he travelled home 40. The road was dark so he got his phone out and used the lantern to search for his house, even though he could guess it with his eyes closed. He grew up around.

The windows were showing the light inside so he just got in, didn't bother to knock at the door. He got his shoes off just in time for Nikolai to come and hug him, laughing at the sight of his precious grandchild.

"Welcome home, Yuratchka!" the old man said and let him go, so he could take down the hoodie and place it in the living room, on a chair.

"Hi, gramps!" He could smell food but weirdly enough he wasn't hungry so he just sat down and explained everything about the competition, even though his grandpa already watched everyone's programs.

"So did you have fun in St. Petersburg?" Yuri nodded and drank half a cup of tea his grampa brought him. "Which one is your friend?"

"The one who won silver. Wait" he proceeded to get his phone out and offered it to the old man, showing him the many selfies he took with Otabek all over the place. Ota was wearing a few piercings and leather so the first impression was one of a bad guy but Nikolai thought that it couldn't be like that if he messaged him to make sure he wouldn't worry about Yuri. He was a good skater too. He was simply curious about the person his grandchild took so much interest in.

"So what did you do?"

"I showed him around and we skated" It was the truth.

"I've never seen you wearing this cloth" Nikolai pointed to the hoodie and Yuri scratched his nose, looking him in the eye.

"It's his, I borrowed it" Slowly but surely the connections were made so the man was left with a frown that creeped Yuri out. "What?"

"Are you really just friends?" The fire was creaking near the sofa and the boy looked up, unsure of what just happened. Did his grandpa just ask if he and Otabek were... His face turned a thousand shades of red before he got up and his face turned into a picture of anger.

"Yes! Of course!" He couldn't believe someone would believe something like that. It was totally normal to feel so attached to your friends, to want to hug them and to feel your heart beating faster every time. The thought of Otabek's lips pressed against his passed through his mind and his heart skipped a beat. His hands were touching the other boy's undercut while their bodies were pressed against each other. "That's gross!" He yelled and ran towards his room where he locked the door.

Nikolai followed the show with big eyes. He grunted, knowing better and lit a cigarette.

Inside his bedroom Yuri fell on his bed and yelled inside his pillow so he would let out the frustration. After a while he got up and looked to see everything was exactly as it was when he left the day before. Sofyia felt his presence because she came closer and jumped on the bed, rubbing her whole body around his leg.

"I've missed you too" he whispered to the feline, petting it's back then grabbing her to place her in his lap. "How's it going" Silence. "Oh yea, you're a cat" Sofyia looked like she gained some weight in the two days but it wasn't something new for she was always "fluffy". Well, more Sofyia to love. He petted her between her ears and she began to purr, making him feel proud. "Good girl" He turned on the phone and began to swipe through Instagram.

Picchit was at a competition in Romania, Chris posted pictures with him in a Jacuzzi. He stopped and showed Sofyia the pictures with the naked skater in a pink man-kini. She meowed and pushed the phone with her paw, much to her owner's amusement.

"Some things simply can't be unseen" He said and continued his search. "Shit, they're gross" it was a picture of Viktor and Yuri dining in a fancy restaurant. They were obviously showing their rings off at the camera so he felt the need to comment.

 _Yuri Plisetsky: Two old jeezers are worse than one :/_

Soon came the reply.

 _Viktor_Nikiforov: Someone is missing his daddies._

Yuri got red and began to type furiously.

 _Yuri Plisetsky: Don't fuck around, old man! You're not my father and neither is that pig of yours._

 _Viktor_Nikiforov: That's not how we raised you, Yurio._

 _Yuri Plisetsky: Fuck off and die._

There was no point in continuing because he knew an argument with Viktor was almost the same as a math class: endless. So he continued his search, reading comments and even news about him and the competition he just won until his phone pinged and he saw it was a message.

 _OtabekAltin: I just got home._

 _Yuri Plisetsky: How was the flight? He was almost biting his nails off._

 _OtabekAltin: Boring and soon I am having dinner with my family._ Well that sounded nice. Yuri was surprised when he received a picture – it was a selfie of the Kazakh and behind him was a wall filled with posters.

 _Yuri Plisetsky: You look good, though._ As soon as he pressed send he panicked.

"Shit shit shit" He gasped and Sofyia looked at him curious, not understanding why was he so nervous. "Fuck" he said and saw Otabek was writing.

 _OtabekAltin: Thanks. Selfie?_ Yuri blushed and cleared his throat, trying to regain his previous state. He brought the phone up and snapped a picture of him and Sofyia.

 _OtabekAltin: You look good too_. Yuri smiled, feeling something burning in the pit of his stomach. Otabek just took a selfie for him – Otabek who was never posting anything and who was reluctant in taking even group photos.

 _OtabekAltin: You called me Beka at the airport._

A wince could be heard inside the room and for a moment Nikolai wondered if it was truly his grandchild inside there or it was a copy of him. _Stupid Otabek -_ Yuri's face was red. He couldn't remember exactly how he called the other but it was possible, in the heat of the moment to have called him that.

 _Yuri Plisetsky: Yeah...?_

 _OtabekAltin: I like that. Should I call you Yura?_

Yuri bit his lower lip.

 _Yuri Plisetsky: I don't kno, call me whatever you want, stupid._ He then took advantage of the pause and changed his conversation partner's name in "Beka".

 _Beka: Okay. Gotta go now, good night_

Yuri sighed and typed good night back wondering what to do in the next few hours until he fell asleep. Back in Astana someone knocked on Otabek's door.

"Ota, are you coming?" The boy smiled at his phone before letting it down and hurrying towards the living room where everyone was waiting to celebrate.


	4. Chapter 4

"Otabek, again!" His trainer shouted, ignoring the tiredness of the skater that could barely breathe. "If you work you might win the nationals" The Kazakh nodded and pursued the Salchow again, feeling the sweat dripping down his back. It was the fifth hour on the ice and he had to keep going for the days he missed the training because of college. He was studying with no frequency but he still wanted to ace all his exams so it was hard to keep the balance. After another half an hour he heard a "stop" shouted and he almost fell, finding equilibrium once he reached the fence. He grabbed a prepared towel and began to rub it over his head and neck to make sure he wouldn't catch a cold, looking to see what the other skaters were doing. They were competing at other levels but they were still good and each one of them could become a great enemy in the future.

Ever since he came back from Sankt Petersburg he's been training harder and it probably had something to do with Yuri who was pushing himself so hard to perform at his best. He sat down on the bench and began to drank water while checking his phone. He had no message and that made him uncomfortable for Yuri and him had been texting all day long ever since they parted. He checked to see he sent the morning message and it was indeed sent but there was no reply so he furrowed his brows. He was sure the blonde wasn't pissed at him because he had no reason and the first thing that came inside his mind was that something happened so he dialled his number and waited a little nervous for the few tones to ring. No answer. He opened the Instagram and checked his account, seeing there was no picture either.

"Oi, Otabek!" He looked up to see it was Sasha, a friend with whom he used to train on weekends. "Done already?"

"I will stay around some more" he muttered and wrote another message, directing it to Yuri: " _Call me when you can_ ". He was a moody teen, he knew that and now that puberty hit him it was even harder for him – he had to deal with body changes and how to work with them on ice and in ballet and he was also exhausted from all the work.

"You're spending a lot of time on your phone lately" Otabek shrugged and the girl sat next to him. "You should get out of the house too" He wasn't exactly a party animal, he could barely deal with the parties at the end of competitions but it was true he spent more time inside than outside in the last weeks, it was because he was so tired after he was done with training that he wasn't in the mood to go out, all he wanted was to talk to Yuri and sleep. "Let's meet tonight, come over to my place and we will see a movie"

He wasn't sure he wanted that but in the end the girl pursued him into coming over and they fixed the hour so it wouldn't be too late or too early. Ever since childhood Sasha has been by his side so that was at least he could do for her, to spend some time with her. He was oblivious to the girl's feelings, he's always been. By the time he reached home he had no sign from Yuri so he took a shower and wrote an essay before packing his things and taking his motorbike to the other part of town where Sasha was living. She was also living alone so he didn't bother to call ahead, he simply knocked on the door once he got there and a fairly undressed girl answered it, looking innocently as brown curls fell over her naked shoulders, shown by her crop top. She wasn't looking like she was ready for a sleepover, she looked like someone who was ready to party.

"Hi! Come in" he stepped in and dropped his backpack so he could undress, stepping inside the familiar place and heading for the living room where the DVD player was already prepared.

"What're we watching?" It was smelling of fresh flowers.

"Legend" He remembered Yuri telling him about this movie, he had seen it in cinema with Mila when they were in UK and the boy really enjoyed it. He was curious about it for a time now so he accepted and took his leather jacket off, placing it on the sofa. "Do you want some coffee?"

"Yes, please" He was a coffee person, he was enjoying it every part of the day and he was never refusing one. It was not good to drink so much but he couldn't help himself sometimes. She brought a trail with two cups of coffee and some biscuits and then turned towards him, tying her hair as her blue eyes were fixing the skater.

"So how are you?" She got progressively closer to the point when he was uncomfortable. She already knew how his life was going but there were other things she wanted to discuss. Soon the atmosphere was a little lighter and they were even laughing from time to time. They were drinking beer now so with a dizzy mind his mouth began to run and they began to talk about their experiences with other skaters, the awkward moments behind the scenes. "What about Yuri Plisetsky?" Otabek straightened his back.

"What about him?"

"How is he?" Otabek sighed, it was hard to talk about Yuri because he had no definition yet and he wasn't sure the other skater wanted him to talk about their friendship. By his reaction Sasha understood it was a no-go subject so she smiled and offered to bring another beer. Because of the tiredness Otabek was already slightly drunk so he leaned against the pillow and closed his eyes, thinking about resting a bit. "Beka" He liked the sound of that but that was not Yuri's voice so his eyes snapped open and he saw the girl. "Move to the bedroom if you want" He shook his head.

"It's too early" They were discussing Olympics when his phone rang and Sasha said she was heading to the bathroom. He looked at the screen and saw it was an unknown phone number but he answered, thinking it could have been someone he was working with. At the other end was a hard breathing and he could almost figure out half-sobs from time to time. "Hello?" he asked and there was a sigh.

"Beka" Yuri mumbled and there was a sound like he tripped over something and the phone fell from his hand. The panic inside Otabek was constantly growing so he got up, like he was ready to leave and drive all the way to Russia.

"Yuri?" No answer. "Yuri, what happened? Where are you?" The anxiety hit the roof when the other answered.

"I am outside, I just tripped and fell in the snow" There was still heavy snow in the biggest country on Earth, it was known to be one of the coldest places. His voice was shaking and he didn't know how to react to this. "It's been the shittiest fucking day"

"Why? Why are you not home?"

"Cause I don't want to be fucking home!" Yuri shouted and Otabek frowned. The boy loved his Grampa so it had to be something really bad if that's how he felt. "Can you talk?"

"Yes, what happened?" He sat back down, trying to calm himself down. The blonde didn't have the chance to say anything cause Sasha came back and shouted from the door.

"Beka, we should go to sleep, we have training tomorrow" Otabek made her a sign to shut up but it was already too late and there was silence on the other end of the phone. Before he opened his mouth the call ended and he looked at the screen confused. He dialled the number again but he couldn't reach it and it became clear Yuri blocked him.

Yuri Plisetsky woke up that day like usual, he did his routine and even added a few more exercises before his run. He then went to school, he was a little unsure about it; he was not fond of studying but he couldn't completely ignore it because he knew he would disappoint his grandfather by doing so. Nikolai prepared him some good-luck piroschkis and he was gone, unprepared for all the classes. He was on the way to school when someone bumped into him and he would have swore at the person if he wouldn't have dropped his phone on the cold ground.

His phone, his pride, his only connection to the outside world was now facing downwards and he was too panicked to pick it up. Once he did though, he saw it was smashed in little pieces and it wouldn't turn on. Perfect start.

The time went by smoothly and it wasn't until the lunch break that everything became to fall apart. He was eating by himself, as usual, when he heard some guys talking and picked up his apple, biting from it.

"He won gold, didn't he?" Of course he did and he worked hard for it.

"Yea, but gold is for no use when you're a freak" another one said and they all burst into laughter. "He has no friends, he thinks he is high and mighty" That fucktard was right, he was better than anyone who could talk like that.

"I think he is actually boring. He's not good at anything besides skating" Other said and he looked at them, offering them a hard stare. He couldn't make a scene but he wasn't far from doing so. When they noticed they were heard one of them got up and went to sit at his table, followed closely by the others. He was the big-ass monkey type.

"What's the matter, Plisetsky, do you think you're better than us? Medals won't keep you company, loser" He continued and Yuri gave him a bored glance. It was not that he didn't want to punch him but he was tired and a fight was the last thing he needed. "What? We're not good enough for you to talk to us?"

"I don't want to reduce my IQ by talking to you" Yuri muttered and felt a hand grabbing him by the hoodie and pulling him behind.

"For such a small fellow you have some nerve"

"Fuck you, bastard!" He yelled, more annoyed for his hoodie than anything else. It was one of his favourites, the one with a cheetah print all over. He got up and observed everyone inside the cafeteria was staring at him so he went towards the bathroom where he felt his knees getting weaker. He got inside a bathroom stall and rested his back against the door, trying to regain his composure. It was not the time to break down, they were just some losers who don't know anything about him. Of course he had no fucking friends if no one approached him, what were they – retarded? He was too busy with competitions for silly talks, he was the pride of Russia. He repeated that a few times before he put his hard look back on and got out, prepared for the next couple of hours. He couldn't wait to get on ice and relax a little, he needed that.

"Yuri, you're late!" Yakov yelled and he rolled his eyes. Mila was inside the changing room herself and she smiled at him once he got in.

"What's with that face, shrimp?" He rose his phone for her to see it and she winced. "I think I have an old one around, if you want it. You can give it back when you fix yours" The girl looked inside her locked and offered him something similar to a brick . Well, it was better than nothing.

"Thanks"

"Off to ice, dwarf" He grinned and showed her his middle finger before rushing to the rink where he began his short program. A few hours later Yakov told him he should stop but he announced he wanted another hour. He was still pissed and he didn't want to think about it and on top of that he couldn't speak to Otabek because he had no internet and didn't know his number.

"Cut it!" Yakov yelled but he was too absorbed to pay any attention so when the pain began he fell flat on the ground, wondering what was going on. It was a pulled muscle, he knew the sensation for he experienced it before but he winced as it was insufferable. "Fuck!" He shouted and Yakov and Mila hurried to him.

"Stay still, I'll call the paramedics" Soon they came and they confirmed he had a few muscles from his groin pulled and that meant he couldn't skate for at least three weeks. He asked about ballet but it was the same situation. He couldn't believe this was happening to him so he felt his eyes burning with unshed tears when Yakov called his Grampa to come and pick him up.

In the car he stood silent and Nikolai knew it was not his place to say anything so he put some music and patiently got him home where he closed himself inside the room. He got on his laptop and asked Viktor for Otabek's number and saved it but never sent a message because he was crushed, he felt like everything was taken away from him. The doctor told him they were lucky it was only pulled muscles and he landed well otherwise one of his legs could have been ruined. He had his head buried in the pillows when the door opened and he didn't bother to raise it, knowing it was probably his grampa bringing him tea.

"Yuratchka" the old man muttered and the teen finally got up, careful not to move too sudden. The man caressed his beard and Yuri realized he must be anxious about something. "You needed a break"

"No I didn't" he said hurried and almost spiteful, feeling sorry as soon as he ended. "It's all I am good at, it's all I know"

"That's not true" He couldn't change his mind, he knew that. Ever since Nikolai's daughter and Yuri's mother left all the kid knew was work, he wanted the best scores in everything, it was his way of coping with the pain. "This is for you" He offered him his monthly letter from his mother and Yuri threw it on the ground, not even looking at it.

"I don't need this now"

"She wants to see you" The boy looked at him dumbfounded. "I told her she can come and see you today"

"What?" Yuri yelled and Nikolai furrowed his grey brows, worried. "When did you start deciding these things for me? I don't fucking want to meet that bitch"

"Yuri, language!" His grampa admonished. "I know you are mad but there is no need for such words. As long as you are living under my roof you won't talk like that" The blonde looked at him shocked by what he was hearing. So it was his house now, was it? It was not theirs.

"Then have a good fucking life!" He got up hardly and ignored the pain as he grabbed a hoodie put his shoes on, ready to face the winter on his own.

"Yuratchka!" the man tried but he was a tornado and he couldn't be caught once he opened the door. He ran outside, tears rolling down his cheeks much to his annoyance. The last time when he cried he won gold but now it was different, it was a cry of frustration because everyone let him down today. The snowflakes made his vision blurry but he got his phone out and dialled Otabek's number, hurrying towards the ice-rink that he knew it was closed. He didn't know what he was going to say, all he knew was that he needed to talk to someone. No, he needed to talk to Otabek. He was surprised when he called him Beka because it sounded desperate but he didn't take it back, not until he heard a girl's voice with clear intentions: they were going to sleep. It couldn't be his sister because she said something about training so the only reaction was to end the call and turn his phone off. He didn't want Otabek anymore, he didn't want anyone, he was used to loneliness. He knew how to deal with things on his own, after all that's what he's been doing all his life.

The ice-rink was closed, it was past any training hour and the sky was pitch black. He knew the backdoor entrance so he tried it but there was no chance. His leg began to hurt worse and he swore under his breath, rubbing the tears off his face with the back of his hands. There was a window Yakov always left opened so he tried it and it was indeed accessible so he opened it wide and climbed inside, closing it behind him. Until tomorrow morning he could stay there. He found another hoodie in his locker and put it on, feeling all too cold and then curled on a bench, trying to cease his trembling.

He knew he was selfish but no one knew what he was going through. Everyone saw him as the winner, the Russian punk but no one took in consideration the fact that he was an overwhelmed 15 years old who had the world's expectations on his shoulders. He turned his phone on and saw he had 16 missed calls from Otabek and a few texts.

 _Beka: Why don't you answer your phone?_

 _Beka: Where are you?_

 _Beka: Yuri, everyone is really worried._

 _Beka: I called Mila and your grampa._

"Fuck" he muttered.

 _Yuri: Mind your own fucking business._

He wanted to turn off the phone again, he knew it was not a good idea but when the phone rang he sighed and answered.

"Yura?" There was a pause in which he felt tears gathering again at the corner of his blue-greenish eyes. He hated this fucking feeling and he hated Otabek and his stupid nicknames. The other skater heard the muffled sobs so he began to panic even more. "Yuri, it's alright, tell me where are you" No answer. Otabek was in the same livingroom and Sasha was watching him curious but he couldn't care less, all he wanted was to know what happened to his friend. "Your grampa told me about your training, he is really worried. You should go home"

"No!" he shouted in the cold and empty room.

"Don't be a child" He sighed and ran his fingers through his short hair. "You're all he has, he's worried sick. And you can't spend the night out in the open" He had a point, that was for sure but he still couldn't get the reason why Yuri was so upset. "You need proper rest to heal"

He knew but he couldn't bring himself to say that the other boy was right but he couldn't say he wasn't either, instead he kept the silence, looking at the walls around him. He didn't know what he wanted. He remembered being four or five and having his favourite toy broken. Back then his grampa told him he should close his eyes and imagine a flower bloom, taking a big breath as he did so. He told him everything was going to be alright. Otabek didn't make a sound, he let Yuri be, not sure what he should say next; that until the boy's face was dry and he gulped, trying to cease his burning throat.

"What the fuck I'm gonna do with pulled muscles?"

"Come and visit" Otabek offered biting his pointing finger, anxious. He always wanted to ask Yuri to come and now that he was off training it was perfect. And Christmas was coming and it would have been nice to spend it together.

"I can't leave Grampa alone on Christmas" He was right. "You can come and visit if you want, I'll show you the remains of Sankt Petersburg" his voice was hoarse and he coughed so he would regain his powers.

"Would Yakov let me train there?" Of course he would, that was a silly question. He knew his family wouldn't be very happy if they heard he wasn't spending Christmas with them and instead fled to another country but he knew Yuri needed a distraction and honestly, he wanted to see him again, even if it's only been two months. He couldn't leave now but he had winter break in a week and he could make it until the first day of Christmas.

"Yea, I'll talk to him"

"But you have to go home now" Yuri let a soft sigh out.

"Give me half an hour"

"Promise me you will go home after half an hour"

"Okay" he mumbled and wondered if it was alright for him to ask Otabek to stay on the phone with him. It probably wasn't so he let the idea go. "Where are you?"

"At a friend's. She's a fan of yours, a Yuri's Angel" Sasha gave him an enthusiastic nod.

"Say hi to her." Otabek let the phone down and said that to the girl that waved. "Have fun" he felt a big empty space inside his chest thinking that Otabek was a pretty popular guy. I mean sure, he was not a social butterfly but he had more than one friend, unlike Yuri.

"Text me when you get home."

"Okay" He hung up then and after an entire hour of staring around and trying to figure out what he was going to say once he got home he began his walk back, a lot slower than when he came. The pain was there and it was acute, he was ashamed of what he did to his grandpa and he was ashamed that he showed that part of him to anyone. It was simply a bad day and he knew better ones were ahead – Otabek was going to visit, they were going to spend time together, he would meet his grandpa. Thinking of such things he got back home where the lights were still on. He didn't knock, he got in and left his shoes in place before entering the living room where Nikolai was sitting on his usual armchair, looking straight forward, almost without blinking.

"I'm home" Yuri muttered and the old man turned to him, startled.

"Where have you been?" The boy sat on the sofa and sighed.

"At the rink" The old man looked very tired and almost aged so Yuri bit his lip worried. "I am sorry I took it out on you" The old man nodded and motioned him to come closer so he could rub his head.

"I am sorry too for acting without asking you first. I told your mother you don't want to see her" He felt relieved when he heard that and he leaned into the touch, enjoying the comforting feeling growing inside him as Nikolai brushed his blonde strands with his fingers. He knew he was forgiven. "You should go and rest, you have school tomorrow"

"Goodnight" he got up slowly and smiled when he heard the reply. Nikolai had a lot on his mind, that was part of the reason he sent Yuri to sleep. He was worried about what was going on with his daughter that was suddenly showing interest for the son she abandoned and he was worried about Yuri's state of mind for he was pressured by every party and puberty wasn't helping him at all.

Once he sat on the bed next to Sofyia, Yuri texted Otabek.

 _Yuri: Home already. G'night_

 _Beka: Good night, Yura_

A few minutes passed.

 _Beka: My flight is on 19th_

In the darkness of the room, Yuri Plisetsky couldn't contain his smile.

 _Author's note: Thank you for your lovely reviews, they make me so happy ∩(︶▽︶)∩ You are awesome! I will try to upload every Thursday_ Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

Yuri's legs were unstoppable once he reached the Pulkovo Airport. He was willing to ignore the pain from his pulled muscles as long as he could walk around and concentrate on other things rather than the nervousness that was creeping inside him. Otabek's plane was going to land in 10 minutes so he read all the indicators and found the gate where he could meet him and where he sat down on a bench that was half full. There were other people there and he felt somehow assured that he was not the only one waiting for a friend. He brought both of his legs up, his knees reaching his chin and began to swipe through Instagram, liking some of Picchit's photos of hamsters until he grew bored of it and some grampa told him to get his shoes off the seat.

"Mind your own business" He muttered, low enough for the man not to hear but stood normally on the chair after that, looking around bored. He calculated that Otabek was travelling in time because of the time difference and looked at the digital screens to see if the flight was here already. It wasn't.

He was thinking about how things were going to work. He couldn't wait to see his friend, he thought about going towards him and nodding towards him, going home with him and presenting him to Nikolai who was still surprised that his grandson brought a friend home. This situation had no precedent. Yuri was still a little worried about seeing Otabek after that scene he made the day he fought with his grandpa; it was rare for people to see that side of him but in that moment he had no one to turn to so beside him. He began to move his leg rhythmically and thought about tweeting but changed his mind, thinking that his fans might find him if he said he was waiting for Otabek. Sometimes, Yuri's angels got out of control. Some minutes passed and the plane finally landed so he got up, before anyone else, searching the gate with his eyes. He knew there were other people coming but there was just one person he was looking for and he went closer, just in case.

It was easy to find Otabek in a crowd because he was looking like a stain of black. Yuri loved the vibe the Kazakh gave with his dark jeans, biker jacket and sunglasses, holding a just as black luggage and a backpack on his shoulder. He had his phone in one hand and was obviously looking for someone as he put his sunglasses on his head and widened his eyes, like he was trying to see the entire building at once. Yuri was not hard to see either, he was the only person wearing a hoodie with cheetah-print and leopard snickers so it was a matter of seconds to find each other and, unlike planned, the Russian began running towards Otabek. He didn't realize, it was like a reflex – his feet were thinking for themselves and soon they jumped, wrapping around the middle of the other skater, forcing him to drop the things he was holding and focus on the body clinging to him. The brunette was surprised but didn't protest, instead he sustained Yuri who said an embarrassed "hi", getting slowly down.

"Hello" Otabek said back with a perfect Russian accent and smiled at the blonde who was staring at his shoes now.

"I'll help you" He didn't have a chance because he was the "wounded" one right now and he needed healing so lifting other's things were simply unnecessary. When they began walking towards the exit they realized there were people watching them but they paid no attention to them, too absorbed by each other's presence. "How was your flight?"

"Tiring" He looked jet-lagged but it was probably because of the early training he had too. Sankt Petersburg was covered in snow so they made their way towards the closest taxi and asked the driver to take them to the train station.

"It takes more than half an hour to get home" Yuri informed and Otabek nodded, watching the boy beside him. His hair was now reaching his shoulders, his green eyes watching outside the window a little dissatisfied because of the slow movements of the cab. Otabek didn't mind, he could have spent the entire day in that small space with his friend without saying a word and he could still be comfortable. He was staring because Yuri felt the piercing dark eyes and turned around, wondering what was going inside the Kazakh's head. "Your dark circles are humongous" Otabek chuckled, surprising the blonde.

"It's not your place to talk"

"I was born tired, Beka!" Yuri said, his voice cracking and they both stopped in tracks. It was the first time something like that happened – Yuri's voice cracked and it sounded similar to the cringe of a door that needed oil. He felt his cheeks heating and turned to look outside the window again, afraid of looking in the dark eyes of his companion.

"It happens" Otabek murmured feeling the discomfort. His fingers were itching for touch so he rose his fingers to rub the top of Yuri's head, caressing the blonde strands and almost making the teenager purr. _He was so much like a cat._ The boy leaned into the touch without realizing and the accident almost forgotten. The Russian skater was not used to the whole "growing" process, he didn't like the pains or the way his body sometimes lost balance because of the changing proportions, he knew his flexibility will decrease but he didn't expect this voice. It was ridiculous and he was ashamed this happened in front of Otabek.

"Did this happen to you too?" The skater chuckled, amused by the younger one's innocence. He was 17 now, of course it happened to him at some point and he remembered being teased by his sisters, especially by the older one, all the time. Things were better now and he had a deep and satisfying voice.

"Yes" He said and continued to brush the blonde hair. "Your hair is longer now" Yuri nodded and didn't add anything, feeling a little unsure and anxious, not wanting his voice to crack again. The train arrived in time so they hurried to get their tickets and boarded on, finding some places where to sit. It was late evening so there were many people going home from work but they were lucky enough to find seats. Otabek was growing more nervous with each kilometre. He heard about Nikolai Plisetsky before, Yuri talked at times about him, he knew he fought in the second World War, he knew he also loved cats and that he was spoiling his grandchild as he could but was Nikolai going to like him? He was thinking about the possibility of him being thrown out because of something stupid he said and ruining the time he had with Yuri. He furrowed his brows.

"What's going on?" Otabek frowned.

"What do you mean?" One slender finger pointed towards his forehead and the blonde put a small but sure smile on his rosy lips.

"You always furrow your brows when you are unpleased or think hard" The Kazakh widened his eyes, surprised, because he had no idea he did that. He wondered when Yuri observed something like that. "Remember at the closing banquet in Barcelona when Viktor got drunk and was chased around by a reporter? All he wanted to do was to go blow the Piggy in the bathroom or something so he told the woman she should find out more about you. That's when you made this face" Yuri almost giggled and touched in between the eyebrows, making Otabek smile kindly.

"I had no idea" He muttered and Yuri shrugged his shoulders, looking outside and wondering just how much snow was going to keep falling. It was hard to walk as it was.

"Next stop" he said and in 5 minutes they were in the middle of what seemed – nowhere. Kazakhstan was not an exactly rich state and the area reminded Otabek about the poor parts of Astana, with small houses settled close to each other, fences made of wood and dogs barking everywhere. He knew Yuri was not living a rich lifestyle, not that he ever complained. "Don't expect anything big or fancy" Yuri said, pulling his hood on his head, blinking rapidly because of the snowflakes.

"I don't"

"I told Grandpa to make Piroschkis" He added and led the way, taking a turn and going towards a smaller road. He was walking slow, he knew that but he couldn't go faster because of his condition and Otabek didn't push, still worried about Nikolai. "Here it is" He pointed towards a small house with a dark coloured fence he almost couldn't see because it was frozen. He opened the gate and then hurried to the door, didn't bother to knock, just entered and began to yell. "Grampa! We're here! OTABEK FROM KAZAKHSTAN IS HERE!" He shouted louder and Otabek chuckled at the childish behaviour.

He was still untying his shoes when the door opened and inside came an old man. His features were not soft and elegant like Yuri's were, he looked like he's been through a lot and the white hairs of his beard were confirming the hypothesis. He was not the typically gentle-looking grandfather but Yuri was not the typical teenager either so it was normal. He studied Otabek with icy eyes.

"I'm Otabek Altin, sir! It's nice to meet you" The skater spoke in a perfectly polite Russian and went to offer a hand to shake, surprised when the man took it and shook it fiercely.

"I'm Nikolai, Yuri's grandfather." He knew that already. "Good to see you, son, it's the first time Yuri has someone over" Otabek nodded and gulped when he was let go, turning towards his friend that was beaming.

"You don't have to tell him about my lack of friends, grampa!" He groaned playfully and Kolya rubbed his hair, like he was taming him. "Let's go eat piroschkis" Yuri offered and guided Otabek inside the livingroom where the air smelled of food. It was a mouth watering smell so they both gulped and Otabek looked around a little confused wondering where he could place his things. The livingroom was a typical Eastern one, with a cozy sofa and an armchair, a small tv, that was not flat and a few closets with doors made of glass that were showing the insides which were filled with books and other displayed objects.

He didn't have time to ask cause Yuri grabbed the sleeve of his jacket and pulled him towards a door that leaded inside his bedroom. Otabek's been spending quite a few hours thinking about how Yuri's bedroom would look like so when he entered his heart began beating faster. The walls were covered with pictures, most of them of famous skaters or movies and bands, there was a one-person bed in the middle, covered with a cheetah print blanket, a closet. There were a few shelves filled with prizes, of course and a desk piled with unsteady books and notebooks, papers and crayons. Per total it was very Yuri, he was sure the things that looked messy were placed with precision and if you asked him to bring you something he would go to the exact place where it was. Yuri was like that.

"Leave your stuff here" He pointed on the floor so Otabek dropped his bags, stretching his arm and hurting shoulder. "You'll take the bed, I have an inflatable mattress" Yuri added and Otabek began to protest but he was left behind when Yuri stormed towards the desk, hurrying to hide something. Before he could, Otabek saw it was a picture they took together, back in Barcelona when they first talked to each other. He didn't know why but knowing Yuri printed the picture and placed it so he could see it every day made him happy. "Let's eat" The Russian said on a high tone.

"Sure" The table they sat at was placed in the living room and it was high, covered with a white tablecloth. Otabek had the pleasure to have Nikolai sitting right in front of him so he ate the piroschkis carefully, complimenting the food and the house from time to time.

"There's no need for half-assed remarks" The old man said and Otabek almost choked on the bread when Yuri burst into laughter beside him. His friend was munching silently his favourite food. "Tell me, boy, where are you from? What city?"

"Almaty" was the reply and Nikolai nodded.

"Yuri's grandma was from Oskemen" Yuri's eyebrows lifted, surprised at the new information. He's never met his grandma, she died at a middle age, his grandpa rarely talked about her and he never asked. He knew it was a painful subject and he avoided bringing unnecessary pain inside their peaceful home. "You did good at the last competition" He watched the entire show, of course and remembered how enthusiastic Yuri talked about his friend winning silver.

"Thank you" Otabek said and that was almost all the conversation they had. The Kazakh felt the need to tell more about himself so he explained how he started skating, who was his couch, which were his plans and how long he was going to stay there – just in case, so no one would worry he was a serial killer. The blonde followed him while drinking his water but soon got bored, because he knew most facts; they've been talking a lot until now, after all.

"Let's go" He groaned and got up, turning to his grandpa. "Thanks for dinner, dedushka!" he said and took the place, hurrying to put them in the kitchen, in the sink and coming back to yell that he will wash the dishes later.

"If you need anything tell me" Nikolai said and sighed, getting up and thinking about taking a bath. In the small house there were two bathrooms which was very good for both of the tenants. Otabek followed Yuri back inside his fairly small room and decided it was time to put his things in place. The blonde crawled in the middle of the bed where he sat with his legs crossed, watching the older boy walk around and placing things where he considered, asking for permission beforehand. The door was closed and there were some weird noises coming from outside so Otabek turned around surprised when Yuri jumped to open it and let inside a fuzzy ball of fur.

"Hi there!" Yuri said weirdly enthusiastic and grabbed the creature, rubbing it's head while sitting on the bed and placing it on his lap. "Otabek, this is Sofyia, you know her from Instagram and Skype" He said, still playing with the cat and the Kazakh went closer and smiled at the cat.

"Hi, Sofyia" he said with a kind smiled, petting her between her ears and earning a soft meow. Of course he heard and saw her pictures before but in real life the pet was beautiful and she had the arrogance her owner had on ice, which was impressive. Otabek took a paw and began to shake it gently. "Nice to meet you, princess" Sofyia began to purr.

"She definitely likes you" Yuri agreed. "It's rare for her to be so friendly, she usually bites" Otabek continued to smile as he sat next to his friend on the bed, offering all the attention to the cat.

"You have her for a long time?"

"I adopted her when I was 10, she was abandoned by her mother somewhere behind the ice rink, it was freezing outside so I had to bring her home" Otabek could imagine a 10-years-old Yuri finding a new-born kitty; they were the same after all, both abandoned and lonely. Sofyia was wearing an electric blue collar that was matching her eyes and for a moment Otabek had to look up to see Yuri's greenish eyes. "We spoil her plenty"

The cat got up from her owner's lap and crawled to Otabek's where she began to rub herself against the shirt covering his abdomen. She then got up and hurried towards the livingroom where dinner was probably waiting for her.

"It takes an hour to get to the ice-rink" Yuri continued. "So we have to get up around 6 to get there at 8" They were both used to rough sleep nights so it wasn't a surprised when his friend accepted without a complaint.

"You celebrate Christmas?"

"Of course, don't you have that in Kazakhstan?" Yuri muttered sarcastic, throwing some blankets at him. Otabek looked at them.

"Of course we do. That's why I was free to come here" Yuri sat on the bed, turning on the laptop, realizing he had a few videos he wanted to show his friend.

"It's nice having you here" The blonde shyly, looking straight at the YouTube window he just opened. He typed "Keyboard cat – The soul of a cat" and waited for the internet to lead, trying to ignore the strange feeling inside his tummy. Otabek smiled.

"Thanks for having me, Yura" At the sound of his nickname the teenager's ears turned red, much to his companion's amusement.

"You're sounding like an 40+ geezer" Was the hurried answer, followed by a nervous scowl. Otabek realized it was rare to see Yuri's beautiful golden waves let free so he instinctively reached for the bangs, tucking them besides an ear, big eyes finally showing. "The hell you're doing?"

"Nothing" Otabek replied, a smile still tugging the corner of his lips. "You will ruin your eyes" Yuri rolled his eyes, remembering the many times both Yakov and Piggy told him the same thing but stretched towards the nightstand where he picked a hair-tie and made a bun on top of his head.

"Good enough?" It looked messy but cute, showing his features in a total different light.

"Yes" On point, like always – Otabek wasn't the type to beat around the bush. Or maybe he was too preoccupied by what was going on to talk that much. When you were in the same room with Yuri Plisetsky it was clear who stole the spotlights and so they ended watching silly cat videos until the middle of the night, talking about what was going on. Otabek told Yuri all about the last month – the few things he didn't already know and then listened mesmerized to everything his friend had to say. The Russian Fairy was gesticulating and yelling from time to time, which made the stories more real, aggravating the real issues. The plan was for Yuri to sleep on the mattress on the floor but he fell asleep around 2 AM, while they were watching a compilation of "Cats scared by cucumbers".

Otabek turned off the laptop and put the phones aside, trying to move gently because Yuri's head was resting on his shoulder and an arm was draped around his middle. He was looking beautiful, fierce even in his sleep and he decided he wouldn't move until morning, making sure he wouldn't disturb him.

"Good night, Yura" he whispered, his fingers covering the wandering hand.


	6. Chapter 6

The alarm went off too soon for him but Yuri struggled to open his eyes either way, confused by the feeling of something moving slightly under him. It was Otabek who was still in slumber and on whose chest his head was resting. His ear was pressed against the soft material of the other's shirt and closing his eyes he could hear the heartbeat that was like fluttery wings. He looked down to see his hand was held tightly in another that did not belong to him and felt his cheeks heating at the situation. He had no idea if friends were supposed to do this, if it was normal but then Otabek's head turned slightly and a faint sigh left his lips, making Yuri's lower parts to wake.

Shit, this wasn't happening now. No. As soon as he felt that he got up and ran towards the bathroom, waking and leaving a confused Otabek behind. He turned the cold water on and soon the problem was gone and he wrapped a towel around his middle, going back inside the room where the Kazakh was stretching on the edge of the bed.

"Good morning, Yuri" he said and yawned, heading for the bathroom.

"Morning" It was a shy reply as the blonde wasn't able to look his friend in the eye. He searched for clothes to change in and chose a black pullover and leopard-print jeans, remembering he had something more to do. He knocked on the bathroom's door.

"Yes?" Otabek just got out of the shower and changed into new clothes.

"I need to brush my teeth" Yuri said getting inside and trying to ignore the wet skin of his neck. His hair was a mess so he destroyed the bun and brushed his fingers through it, grabbing his toothbrush. The act of brushing your teeth was rather difficult when your bangs were getting in your face and Otabek was an observant man and soon he was holding the blonde's hair up, helping him by doing so. After he finished Yuri spit and rinsed his mouth. "Thanks"

He hurried towards the kitchen where he greeted his Nikolai who was preparing breakfast.

"When are you boys coming back?"

"I don't know, we might stay in town until later 'cause I'll take Otabek visiting" Yuri replied and sat on his usual seat, feeling Sofyia rubbing against his leg. "Do you have plans today?"

"I'll visit a friend this afternoon" That was sounding weird because Nikolai never mentioned the name of this friend but Yuri let it go when Otabek entered the kitchen, his clothes changed and his face looking healthy and lively.

"Good morning!" He generally greeted the room and Sofyia ran towards him to rub her back against his feet, surprising everyone. He bent and rubbed the cat between her ears, earning a soft purr. "Good morning, princess" he cooed and went to sit at the table, aware that Yuri wasn't looking him in the eye.

"Better eat fast" The blonde muttered and soon they were in the train station, alone as it was too early for anyone to go towards the town. Most people who were working in Sankt Petersburg were either living there, either had cars that they drove early in the morning. The cold was something else, even when it came to Astana but Otabek tried not to shake so much at the cold air, feeling his skin redden whenever the wind touched it. His eyes followed Yuri who was looking like he was enjoying a sunny summer day while casually swiping through his Instagram, his hair all over the place.

"Want me to tie your hair?" Yuri looked up thinking about the offer but shook his head, going back to watching the screen of his phone. It was not that he was mad or anything, he was simply confused and had no idea how to react at what was going on, thinking about ways in which he could make his feelings go away. He had no idea if your heart jumping out of your chest was normal when you were around a friend but he had a vague presumption that it wasn't so he kept quiet until they reached the ice-rink.

They barely stepped inside when Yakov's voice boomed.

"Ten minutes late, Plisetsky!" Yuri rolled his eyes but the older man approached them and studied Otabek from head to toe. Yakov was wearing his usual cap and the rest of his clothes were grey, not that it mattered because his grumpy figure stole the show. "Altin, your coach emailed me your program" Otabek nodded and shook his hand.

"Thank you for taking me in" Yakov was ready to answer when someone jumped on his back and a redhead appeared startling the old man and making him yell louder.

"Mila go back to your program NOW!" But there was no chance in shooing the girl away especially after she jumped on Yuri, almost strangling him with her long arms.

"Shrimp! I missed you!" She shouted and her eyes looked up wickedly to see Otabek who was staring at her, uncomfortable at the display of affection. "Otabek Altin?" Yuri's hand pushed her, making her almost lose her balance.

"Hands o ff, баба!" the blonde said but Mila was too busy with the new character.

"Mila Babicheva" she continued, ignoring everyone and Otabek shook her hand too, not a single trace of expression on his face when he said how nice it was to meet her. Yuri was confused when he saw the girl's face – she had the eyes of a tiger ready to attack the prey and he only saw her that way when she became interested in another dumb hockey player.

"All of you on ice!" Yakov said and then remembered his pupil's condition. "Yuri, the bench is free for you"

"Whatever" The Russian muttered and headed for his place close to the edge of the rink where he sat down, looking with envy at Georgi who was already training. He wanted to be on ice because it was the only time he could clear his mind and forget about everything that was bugging him. Mila and Otabek headed towards the changing rooms together and he began to bite his nail anxious at the thought. "Whatever" he groaned louder when arms wrapped around him and he jumped startled, realizing what was going on only when silver strands of hair brushed his cheeks.

"Hello, son!" Yuri ignored his pulled muscles and kicked Viktor in the stomach with his leg, sending him a few inches back.

"Don't touch me" The older man chuckled and soon Yuuri came in the scene too, wearing a black training suit. "Weren't you supposed to be in Japan?"

"We're gonna train here this season" Viktor answered and the Japanese Yuuri came closer to both of them, blushing when Viktor took his hand in his.

"Hi, Yuri!" He muttered and Viktor kissed his cheek.

"Stop being gross" Yuri shouted and the couple was distracted by the high tone of Mila's voice and the presence of Otabek who came to greet them calmly. Yuuri offered Otabek a confused look and then turned to watch Yuri in the eye without a word. "What?" The Japanese shrugged his shoulders but Viktor's face split in two because of a large smile that made everyone uncomfortable.

"I see" he said mysteriously and rubbed Yuri's already-messy hair. He was lucky his fingers weren't bitten off because the look on his "son's" face was murderous. "Nice to see you, Otabek!" Mila looked at everyone a bit lost. "Everyone on ice now!"

"Davai!" Yuri yelled and looked at Otabek who followed the others with a small smile curling his lips. The blonde hated that he could only see and not do, ever since he stopped skating everyday he became more and more mad, anger filling him up without a reason. It was the frustration of not being able to do his favourite thing. He was also worried about what will happen after this break – what if he wouldn't land the same? Or couldn't stretch as much? He hated the growing pains and the changes of his body didn't help his self-esteem at all.

They were skating spectacularly but it was no wonder, everyone got to the World's at least once but in his eyes, his friend was the best. Maybe he didn't jump as high and as graceful as Viktor did but he had this fluidity, he was poetry on ice and he stole the show by far, even wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a green t-shirt. His program had high difficulty this year and Yuri could swear he was going to be a great opponent but he was sure he was the one who was going to win the gold, it was him who was the best. Yakov was yelling next to him but that was nothing new, he was almost impassive at the sound, after all, the trainer shouted at him more than at anyone else. When he watched figure skating he was usually on his laptop but now it was different, he could understand why people were coming to see them live, it was spectacular. Everyone had his own way of moving, they were executing the same moves but in thousands of ways and they were mesmerizing every time.

When the break came everyone went to pick their bottles of water and as soon as Otabek reached the metal fence, all sweaty when Yuri threw a towel at him.

"Thanks" The Kazakh said and a "yuhuuu" was heard, followed by Mila coming closer and resting her elbows on the edge.

"What'cha up too, котенок" Yuri got up and threw another towel on her face, making her yelp.

"Don't call me that, I am the Ice Tiger of Russia" he shouted making Otabek chuckle lightly. He didn't know why but his anger vanished at the sound and he turned around to see the scene, surprised when he saw the still-curled lips. "Traitor" he whined and slapped his forearm gently, smiling.

"Ice Kitten of Russia" Mila continued with a snicker and Yuri was ready to jump at her neck when Yakov came and placed himself between them.

"Shut up, both of you" The blonde showed her his tongue and sat back down, trying to focus on the existent pain and ignore the need to end someone's life. "Otabek your step sequence is bad, we'll focus on that" The teenager nodded and stretched his arms. As soon as Yakov left to guide Viktor and Yuuri, Mila stepped closer and leaned on the fence, studying her new rink-mate.

"So why did you come to train here? You're usually training in Kazakhstan or Canada" The redhead was taller than him with a few inches but that didn't seem to stop her.

"I wanted to visit Yuri" The girl blinked at him.

"I bet this shrimp didn't show you around, why don't I take you sight-seeing?" Yuri felt something strange pressuring his chest at the sight of his two friends and he looked at his lap, confused with what was going on. It was Mila's type to flirt with everyone and Otabek was a handsome guy so there was no wonder he would steal her attention but he didn't understand why it was bothering him so much.

"Yuri?" the deep voice brought him back from his thoughts.

"Hm?" He looked up at two expectant faces.

"I asked if you guys wanted to go to at least have drinks with us tonight" By the way Mila spoke it was clear Otabek turned down her offer and he calmed the smirk that threatened to appear.

"Sure" he said and soon everyone but him was skating so he put his earphones in, annoyed by the sound the ice made under the skates. It got on his nerves. He played some of his favourite music, some of the songs from his previous routines and he barely realized when the hours passed. At lunch he went out to buy everyone something to eat because he was bored and stiff and he couldn't handle not moving anymore. He was on the way back, an apple in his mouth when he passed a window and accidentally saw the thing it was showing. It was a shirt that wrote "If you're not a cat don't even try to approach me" and he didn't need a second more to rush inside and buy his size.

When he got back everyone ate their share and he settled back in his place, already bored of what was going on. There were two more hours. Two long hours. Otabek finished his sandwich when he left Mila's side and came to Yuri who was playing a game on his phone.

"Bought anything?" The blonde looked up at him and nodded enthusiastic, shoving the bag in his friend's face. Suddenly he felt shy. Otabek took a good look at the item and smiled when he returned it to the owner.

"Representative" Yuri grinned. "I'm not a cat, though"

"You're an exception" As soon as the words left his mouth his cheeks heated to the point where he was looking like a tomato and he froze, looking at the boy in front of him. "You're my best friend" He added hurriedly and Otabek smiled.

"I feel grateful for the title"

"Otabek! We start!" It was Mila and Yuri groaned a bit too loud when everyone returned to the ice rink. He took a big breath and told himself he could do it but his faith began to shatter once he saw Yakov concentrating on Yuuri's and Viktor's programs and Mila approached Otabek once more, with that flirty expression on her face. He wanted to get his black boot off and throw it at them yelling. Mila was a good mate of his, he shared many memories with her but right now he couldn't stand her.

Otabek was exhausted. It was no wonder Yuri was a world champion at 15 if he trained everyday like this, Yakov was a beast and he knew the exact second you mistook so he rubbed it in your face until you did it perfectly. Also, his voice was something else but there was no wonder, the Russian team was very... special. Viktor and Yuuri were all over each other, Mila was loud, Yuri was bratty and yelling at times too and Georgi was hysterically laughing or crying; he never saw something like this before. He was now watching Yuuri Katsuki with big eyes, cringing whenever the male fell flat because of a wrong jump.

"It's obvious they took a break" Mila said coming closer to him, leaning against the metal and watching Viktor cheering on his lover. "Do you ever take breaks?" She had a smug smile on and Otabek moved his weight from one leg to the other, feeling uncomfortable.

"Rarely. But I don't train as hard as you guys do" Mila snorted, in a very unlady-like manner.

"That's because Yakov is psycho" She whispered and they both chuckled. "So you're staying at Yuri's place?" The Kazakh nodded carefully. "It's funny because I never thought Yuri was the entertaining type" She didn't mean it as a bad thing, she was simply teasing but Otabek tensed and ignored the remark. "He's always been closed, he's never talking about himself if it doesn't involve skating"

"He talks with me sometimes" There was a small pride in this sentence.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Russians sure were blunt, Otabek thought. He wasn't oblivious enough not to realise the girl's been flirting with him but his personal life was none of her business.

"No, I'm not interested" The redhead's mouth formed a perfect "o" before a enthusiastic gleam sparkled in her blue eyes. It was not that he didn't like girls, he had two girlfriends before, nothing serious of course but now he didn't want anything like it now. The person he was interested in was the one he's been looking up to all these years, his childhood crush. He fell in love even before he knew what genders were and what society demanded of men but it was too early for all that and he was sure he couldn't pursue such dreams knowing the other was probably not feeling the same. His eyes darted towards Yuri and he was surprised to see he was staring back with a blank face and hurt eyes. He wondered what was going on but once Yakov called his name he decided he would figure this out later.

"So that's how it is" Mila muttered to herself lowly. She thought it was a bit extreme for a friend to come over for Christmas after only a few months of friendship but she didn't say anything because both boys were unusual. She was used to headstrong Yuri, knew him probably better than 90% of his acquaintances but Otabek was a surprise – he was quiet and polite and very observant; they were somehow at different poles, that's why their relationship, never mind the kind of it, was so strange and hard to define. By the way she knew him, Yuri probably had no idea what was going on; the kid never experienced something like this, he never had a crush before.

Finally the training was over so everyone went to change their clothes while Yuri got outside where the cold air made him feel fresher. He's been thinking about where he should take Otabek for visiting and decided they should go to the Hermitage because it was close and because he was sure his friend was tired. Everyone came out and Yuri growled at the sight of Mila having her arm wrapped around Otabek's but then they decided the hour when they should meet for dinner. They were in the subway when Yuri realized they haven't spoken a word and felt his skin crawl.

"Like art?" It was Otabek and he was looking down with kind eyes.

"Sometimes" Yuri replied.

"Today?" The blonde nodded grinning and when the Kazakh smile he knew they could go back to normal. Otabek was sure he never had as many pictures as they took in that single afternoon, some of them ending on Instagram. Pistol hands, peace sign, Yuri on his shoulders, Yuri piggy-back riding him, with sunglasses, without sunglasses. They were on the way to the restaurant where they should have met the others when Yuri gasped, running towards a big poster.

"There will be a carnival" He said and Otabek smiled because he was so much like a child in that moment. "I've never been to one, have you?" The older skater nodded, uncomfortable.

"How comes you never went?" He asked a few moments later, after Yuri photographed the date and location written on the paper.

"I didn't have time." Blatant lie. "It's no fun going alone" He added and Otabek felt something pulling at his heart, imagining a younger Yuri all alone, practicing and practicing until everything hurt. Maybe there was more sadness in those soldier eyes than he could see. He decided then that it was his mission to take Yuri to the carnival.

"We'll go"

The restaurant Viktor chose was fancy, of course, and everyone was sure there will be some drunk people at the end of the night but no one bothered to complain, instead they chose a table and ordered their food. Mila arrived later but when she did she moved so she could stay close to Otabek, earning a I-want-to-fucking-kill-you-look from his younger rink mate.

"So Georgi, did you start dating again?" Was Viktor's question and in no time Georgi's face turned into a picture of pain and his eyes watered. "I guess not"

"Georgi is healing" Mila said and sipped from her wine.

"Didn't take you a lot" Yuri muttered and Mila grinned at the attack.

"That's because he was an asshole"

"You choose them" Yuri continued and Viktor burst into laughter at the small quarrel.

"Easy, son" The amount of time Yuri needed to throw a spoon at Viktor was almost equal with zero.

"Don't fucking call me son" The Japanese Yuuri was sighing and he caught a glimpse of Otabek's surprised face, it was obviously he was not used with the violent way the Russian team was interacting.

"Otabek, you enjoy Russia?" He asked and Otabek nodded, clearing his throat. Viktor's arm wrapped around his fiancé's shoulders and he pulled him in for a kiss.

"Aren't you the most sensitive guy?" Viktor's voice was similar to the ones women had when they met babies or kittens and Yuri groaned in his seat at the display of sweetness. They were driving him mad.

"You guys are relationship goals" Mila squeaked and Georgi began to cry. It was like a Freakshow. Yuri leaned closer to Otabek to whisper.

"I must be nicer from now on because if I'm goin' to hell I'm gonna see that 24/7." Otabek chuckled at that and felt something resting on his shoulder so he turned to see it was a red head. Yuri couldn't stand it anymore. "Hands off my friend, hag! He's **my** friend!" Everyone stopped their blubber and stared at the scene, unsure of what was going on. Yuri's ears got red from both attention and anger; he had no idea how he should react. Everyone was staring at him with big eyes, especially Mila and he realized he just made a fool of himself – Otabek was not his property, he could talk with anyone, if he liked Mila he could do whatever he wanted with her.

Something horrible bubbled inside him all day; it was something that usually appeared when he couldn't skate good enough, when he didn't score high enough. It made him want to throw up and the room was spinning, voices echoing in the background while his throat was strangled, barely letting him breathe. His feet began to move on their own accord, all kind of thoughts clouding his mind. Of course Otabek would get tired of him, everyone beside his grandpa did at some point, it was his bad attitude that chased everyone away. Even that horrible woman couldn't stand him after he was born; he was not good enough to keep. Shivers clawed their way up his spine and when he gained consciousness he was almost reaching a bridge. He looked around confused and saw he walked far enough and people were staring at him because he left his hoodie behind and now he was wearing only a shirt.

"Hey kid, are you okay?" It was a middle-aged man who grasped his shoulder and Yuri jumped back, not wanting to be touched.

"Yea, fuck off"

"You don't need to be rude" But he was always rude, he couldn't be any other way. Something was buzzing and he looked confused at the lighted screen of his phone. Beka was calling. Green dot.

"..."

"Yura, where are you?" The other boy was breathing hard, like he's been running. He looked around and mumbled the name of the bridge but then realized the Kazakh didn't know St. Petersburg. "I'll find you" The blonde curled himself in a ball, looking at the sparkling snow and trying to focus on chasing the thoughts away. He didn't want to be found, he had no idea what to say, he didn't want to get back there and he was sure Otabek hated him by now. He was gonna be alone again, he was gonna go back to his empty days. Something fluffy wrapped around his shoulders and he realized it was his hoodie. "Yuri" He bit his lower lip, he was not Yura anymore. _He was not gonna fucking cry, he was not gonna cry._ Too late, tears of frustration were running down his cheeks, falling on the snow.

Otabek had no idea how to react at the sight but he followed his instincts and grabbed Yuri, pulling him up looking for a moment at his red face before hugging him at his chest, knowing he wanted to hide his face.

 _After Yuri stormed out of the place Georgi asked what the hell was going on._

 _"He's jealous, of course" Mila shouted in Otabek's direction. "Go find him, the shrimp's gonna get lost and he left his hoodie behind" It was never her intention to hurt him, she just wanted to help him figure out his feelings, push him a little. But now it seemed she pushed him off a cliff._

Yuri was shaking badly so he held him a little more before grabbing his wrist and holding him up, forcing the Russian to wrap his legs around his waist.

"It's okay, Yuri" The 15 years old grabbed his leather jacket tightly with both hands.

"I don't want to go back" His voice was small and ragged.

"Okay, we won't. Where do you want to go?"He asked softly, still holding him tightly. "Home?" The blonde nodded so they headed towards the train station in silence, Yuri still in Otabek's arms. Once in the train Yuri crawled on his chair, his knees under his chin while looking outside and Otabek texted the others to inform them they were on the way home and there was a possibility of not coming to training tomorrow. He was worried. Once they reached the small house Yuri discharged his shoes and ran towards his room, leaving Otabek with Nikolai.

"He's not feeling well" The Kazakh muttered and Nikolai frowned.

"Come with me" They stepped inside the kitchen where it was smelling of food and where the old man rested against the counter. "I'm afraid I can't keep up with him anymore."

"I'm sure that's not-" Nikolai raised his hand.

"I'm doing all I can but teenagers these days are very different from how they were back in the days. We didn't have all these..." He motioned towards Otabek's leather jacket and smart phone. "What I'm trying to say – he's never had someone as close as you." The Kazakh nodded. "Take care of him"

"Yes, sir" He whispered and heard scratches which meant Sofyia was trying to get somewhere.

"Wash your hands, dinner will be served soon" Otabek nodded and hurried to let Sofyia inside Yuri's room where the lights were out. It was pitch black and when he turned on the lamp on the desk Yuri hissed and turned his face towards the wall. He was on the bed.

"Yura" he said going closer and bent so he could see that the red crying face was replaced with a scowling one. "Do you want to talk about it?" Blonde strands fell over the place when he shook his head. A few silent moments.

"It was blurry, it sometimes happens" He said, regaining his voice and getting up. "I couldn't breathe" It was clear he had a panic attack but Otabek was sure Yuri had no idea. "I'm not your fucking soldier, okay? I'm weak"

"Yuri" Otabek sighed. "You're the Ice Tiger of Russia; the strongest person I know" he murmured and ran his fingers through the blonde hair in front of him, enjoying the softness. Greenish eyes sparkled in the dim light. Yuri got on his knees and rose to get on the same level with Otabek, whose heart was beating so fast that it made him shiver. A small hand rested against it and Yuri leaned to press a peck on his lips. Otabek's mouth was rough against the blonde's soft lips and he had to control himself so he wouldn't grab his friend by the shoulders and pull him for a deeper kiss. He knew it was Yuri's way of expressing his feelings, his relief and there was no romantic interest behind it.

Yuri's ears were red and his cheeks were pink, very much like Otabek's entire face. They looked at each other for a few moments until Nikolai knocked on the door and opened it, shoving his head inside.

"Dinner is ready"

"Coming!" Yuri yelled and Nikolai smiled at himself, leaving the teenagers alone.

 _Author's Note: Thank you so so so much for the reviews - I live for them, I swear! They make me smile so much that my face is hurting! Also thank you for all the informative comments, I am grateful to learn new things - of course I am sometimes not as well informed as I should be about some aspects but believe me when I say I am doing my best for you guys! Thank you for reading; write me to feel like it! Suggestions are also welcomed, have an awesome week!_


	7. Chapter 7

He was not sure how to react. He was curled on the floor of the living room next to the tree he decorated a day before with Otabek, two packages in his lap – one from his grandpa and one from Otabek. They voted he should go first and he began to unwrap the green paper of the first one, under the searching eyes of the other two men. It was the gift from grandpa, it was not that big or that small, it was in between and that made him more curious. His fingers fumbled with the wrapping paper until he lost his patience and ruined it, seeing the things it contained. Inside were two pairs of leggings: one with tiger stripes and the other one with leopard print, along with a fluffy black hoodie that felt awesome to touch. His eyes gleamed in the dim light and he jumped to hug his grandpa.

"Thanks, dedushka! They're awesome!" He said and the old man chuckled, rubbing his head gently. It was hard to pick gifts for someone as pretentious as Yuri and as he had no idea how technology worked, Nikolai usually bought him small things like these; the fact that he knew Yuri's tastes made the boy happier than any other gift could. The old man held his grandson for a while, letting him go only when he sprinted to pick the other gift up. He shook the package just in case, before he saw Otabek cringing and decided it was something fragile inside. He was ready to bite the paper off so when he torn it and saw it was a box he groaned in frustration.

"Do you need scissors?" Yuri answered with a hiss and opened the white box. It was a small Polaroid camera, a pale blue one so he looked at it confused, not sure what to do with it. "You like pictures, right?" Otabek's voice was small, a little shy and Yuri felt a kind of heat raising to his cheeks and making him avoid the kind, brown eyes.

"It's awesome!" He said turning the camera to have a better look and grinned while holding it up and making the other men a sign to come closer. "Smile!" He ordered and grinned at the light that came, impatient to see the results. When the photo came out he smiled at Otabek's happy eyes and at his soft features and at his grandpa's obvious and pure happiness. "This is so f..." he stopped, realizing Nikolai was already scowling. "Cool!" he gasped and jumped on Otabek without a second thought, being welcomed by strong arms.

"I'm glad you like it, Yura" he replied, gently pushing the teen away, feeling uncomfortable because of Nikolai's presence. Their relationship was nothing more than a friendship but the Russian old man grew aware of the way they were talking and behaving lately and followed them closely.

Nikolai followed to open his presents and he received an Ipad from Yuri – so they could face time when he was at competitions – and some traditional spices and even a traditional shirt from Kazakhstan given by Otabek. He was surprised that the young man thought of him but after all, he was very polite and it was clear he was brought up in a good family. The Kazakh skater received a pullover from Nikolai, a black one that was actually nice and then Yuri offered him a bigger pack that was wrapped in violet paper.

It looked nice and Otabek had to take a big breath before destroying the bow on top of it. He remembered the first time he saw Yuri, it was at a summer ballet camp and back then he was the oldest one there, intimidated and frustrated by the many talented children. The teacher used to tell him he needed to work more to reach what the others already achieved, he needed to practice more, to jump higher. The one he envied the most was the prodigy child, the one who never talked with anybody but who was always praised by the teacher for his performances. The first few months passed without him seeing his eyes because Yuri never concentrated on anything else beside his image in the mirror and he had to bite back his mean words when he saw everyone taking a break but the girly-looking blonde. He had fair skin, almost translucent and his arms and legs were thin, gracious. One day he decided not to go outside to eat his lunch and remained inside the practice room, sitting on the floor with his lunchbox in his lap, his eyes watching the still-working 7 years old. He wanted to see how long the boy will last. Surprisingly, he didn't stop but for a few moments to drink water and when he did so he threw Otabek a impassive look, his blonde brows furrowing slightly with curiosity. Otabek expected to see pride in that look and gulped when he realized there was no such thing – those were the eyes of a soldier, he was going to work until he would win, he was going to be the last one standing, always. In that moment the Kazakh's envy turned into admiration.

If Yuri would have been talking outside the lessons they would have probably befriended back then but that was not the case, so he spent the next years wondering what happened to the most talented kid in class. His questions were answered once Yuri began to compete in Junior league and he recognized him – taller and wearing a lot more sparkly outfits he was still shining, even on ice.

Maybe he didn't want to admit but he always admired Yuri from afar, he was always watching his routines, searching his scores. He hoped he was going to compete against him and show what he became, how much he evolved over the years. But he never, in his life, imagined it will come the day in which he was going to exchange presents with the Russian, nevermind spend the Holidays with him. It was a black leather jacket that had "Goodbye" written on the back of it in a nice, white handwriting. It looked good, really good so he grinned at the waiting boy, leaving the item aside.

"It's perfect, thank you"

"I've imagined it on you while you ride your motorcycle" Yuri mumbled a little embarrassed and Otabek ran his fingers through golden and tangled strands, making him almost purr.

* * *

Christmas was quiet, they watched a few movies and in the evening they went to Sankt Petersburg where they offered the other gifts – Yuri had many. They even had dinner together with the rest of the skaters, at Yakov and Lilia's house. Otabek was horrified by the thought – he was not sure if he wished to see Yakov off the ice and by what he heard he was sure meeting Lilia was not on his Christmas list. On top of that, the Russian team was not normal.

When he met the former Mrs. Feltsman, Otabek felt a shiver crawling up his back but smiled and talked politely, like he knew he needed to. She was very intimidating and for a moment he was glad Lilia and Yakov never desired to have children because the world probably would have ended with another one of them. The apartment was nice and Yuri insisted on showing him the bedroom where he sometimes stood over, which was simple and a lot emptier than the one he had at his grandpa's. It was smaller and everything was a light brown colour, the walls being covered in posters with skaters. There was a desk too and you could see a few CD's on it, along with a small laptop and a mug. On the small bed laid a black suit that had its shoulders covered in golden. Otabek couldn't help himself and grabbed the costume to look at it properly. It reminded him of a soldier's uniform, it had golden buttons and golden shoulders that seemed made of glitter, just like the thin ribbon attached to the front of it. Simple but beautiful.

"Is this the costume you will be using this season?"

"No, Lilia wants me to participate in a ballet. That's the costume she wants me to wear, I would be a prince or some shit" Yuri muttered, looking at the material annoyed. Otabek nodded and bit his lower lip so he wouldn't tell him he thought he would look beautiful in it.

"Will you accept?"

"I don't know, it's a lot of work but I'll be bored between competitions..." Yuri sighed. "And you won't be here anymore and Viktor and Piggy will probably go back to Japan"

There was a certain sadness in his voice, one he didn't meant to let out. He didn't want to think about it but Otabek was going back to Kazakhstan two days after the New Year's Eve and he had no idea what he would do then, lonely as he was. He was going to miss his best friend a lot.

"I think she'll never find a better person for the job" The older skater smiled and Yuri nodded, pulling him out of the room and back in the dining room where everyone was already at the table. They began babbling random things, mostly about how they spent their free days - that until Yakov cleared his throat.

"Before having dinner, I would like to give you your presents" he said and Otabek moved uncomfortably on his chair, not knowing how to react. He was not part of the entire thing and he had no idea how to act. Mila leaned towards him to whisper.

"They're skating shoes, I guarantee it" Yuri nodded at her and took the box Yakov offered him, finding inside a pair of white skating shoes indeed, bright new and beautiful.

"They're really nice" Otabek said and Yakov offered him a box.

"Here are yours" The only difference was that his were black and he said a honest "thank you", earning a real smile from Yakov – one he kept exclusively for Christmas and Birthdays. It ended up quite well, not even Lilia could be stiff all the time and they enjoyed the company before heading back home and watching a black and white movie with Nikolai.

Back in the bedroom, ready to sleep, Yuri was already cuddled on the side of bed that he knew it belonged to him, checking his Instagram to see what the others skaters were doing around the world. Chris posted a scandalous picture of him in bed, Pichit was with his family, Leo de la Iglesia was with Guang Hong Ji. Per total: boring; so he put the phone on the nightstand and felt himself growing shy when Otabek got under the blankets next to him. He couldn't fall asleep, not even after minutes of waiting and waiting so he snapped his eyes open and saw Otabek haven't closed his.

"Beka?"

"Hm?"

"How's Christmas with your family?" It was a painful question, on both sides – Yuri's side because of the curiosity born from the absence of his parents and on Otabek's because he was put in a complicated position. But there was no way of stopping the teen so he began talking.

"It's loud, my sisters are very enthusiastic about Holidays. My grandparents are always there, along with my uncles and aunts and my many cousins so it's like a mad house –with children of all ages. Aslan is the smallest and he is 2 now." Yuri wrinkled his nose amused by the thought of Otabek babysitting. "So mom and grandma and my aunts are cooking a lot of food while everyone else is talking or playing. It's... animated"

"That sounds fun" Yuri concluded with a yawn. "Here it's always been like this, not that I complain. I love spending time with grandpa and I have a collection of skating shoes from Yakov" They both chuckled at the last part and Yuri snuggled closer, finding the comfortable position, his head resting on Otabek's shoulder.

He couldn't stop the sleep from coming and he soon fell into slumber, enjoying Otabek's hand rubbing his back gently. Otabek woke up first and after his morning routine he was asked by Yuri to prepare some breakfast as Nikolai was visiting his sister and they had to take care of themselves. He was making eggs, sunny side up like he knew Yuri liked them when he saw a letter on the counter. It had "Yuri" wrote with black marker on.

"Yura, there's something here for you" he shouted just when the teen entered the room, still in his sleep wear. The Kazakh pointed towards the letter that Yuri ignored completely, coming closer to smell the still-cooking breakfast.

"Smells good" Otabek rose a brow and Yuri groaned. "Not your fucking business, okay?" The tone he used was far too rude and the guilt tasted bitter in his mouth, especially after seeing the hurt eyes of his friend. He didn't want to destroy the rest of their time together so he sighed and started all over. "It's from my mother. She sends this shit monthly, has been doing so for 3 years now"

Otabek understood now – it was a sensitive subject.

"Sorry for intruding" he whispered.

"Sorry for snapping." The blonde answered, fumbling with the unopened letter. "She just fucking frustrates me, okay? I don't know what she wants from me"

"Maybe she just wants to get to know you" It was a valid point of view and a strong theory but Yuri didn't care about any of those things.

"She had her chance, I don't want her now" It was a hard way of starting the day so Otabek didn't insist, he changed the subject and after a morning ran they changed and decided they should go at that carnival. It was a beautiful sight: Yuri with a red nose because of the cold and with shiny eyes, pulling at his sleeve so they could hurry towards all the rides he wanted to try. They had cotton candy and popcorn, Yuri won a huge teddy-bear he offered Otabek knowing he loved stuffed bears and they decided on the giant wheel at the end.

"I think we can see the entire city!" The 15 years old shouted when they reached the top and the wheel stopped for a few minutes. "Selfie!" he demanded and scooted into Otabek's lap to take a picture with them smiling, the city illuminated behind them. "Can I post this?" He didn't wait for a reply, instead entered Instagram to post it with the caption **#fuckyou #carnival #bestfriends.** Otabek smiled at the last part.

It was dark outside when they got home and once they entered the door, Yuri hurried to get his shoes off and sprint towards the living room, wanting to see Nikolai. The fact that there wasn't a sound coming out of his mouth made Otabek worried so he dropped the bear and followed the path towards Yuri, finding him petrified in the door frame.

"Yuri?" He asked and looked over his shoulder to see Nikolai sitting at the small coffee table along with a middle-aged woman. She was beautiful and young and when he realized who she was looking strikingly similar to he gasped, not being able to react before Yuri.

"What the fuck? What the fuck is she doing here?" His voice broke at the end of the sentence and Otabek realized he was shaking with anger.

"Yuri, you're so beautiful" That was the woman who got up and came closer to have a better look. Her blonde hair was braided beautifully and her features were soft but her eyes were icy blue, very different from the Russian Fairy's greens. Yuri stepped back.

"Don't touch me" he hissed and Otabek's fingers itched to intervene. "How could you bring her here, grandpa?" He shouted, avoiding the woman. "How could you?" he continued and felt a hand grabbing his arm, it was Beka.

"Yura, calm down" The blonde turned around and liberated himself with a sudden move.

"You calm the fuck down!" He yelled and Nikolai got up.

"Yuratchka!" The old man sounded tired more than anything else and something pulled at Yuri's heart at the sound, making him take a big breath.

"I dropped by unannounced." The woman said after all, stopping the conflict. "I just wanted to see you, I brought you a present" Her voice was nice, like ringing bells but that wasn't enough for him to forgive. The teen looked at the couch where there was a huge colourful bag and rolled his eyes, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips.

"I don't want it and I don't want to see you. Get lost" he wasn't sure how he got inside his bedroom, all he knew was that the door was shut really loud and everything was spinning again. The last two days were so good; of course things would get ruined right away. He didn't want anyone anymore; all he needed was silence and blackness. He felt the walls closing in on him and a compulsive need to throw up so he hurried towards the bathroom where he emptied his stomach quick enough to make him even dizzier. He crawled back to bed and fell on a side, closing his eyes, hearing people talking behind the closed door.

He might've fallen asleep, he couldn't tell. The only thing he could remember was the soft touch of someone's fingers caressing his hair. Not someone, Otabek. He opened his eyes slowly and then turned around, remembering about the shouts; he didn't want to talk.

Half an hour passed. He wondered how came that his grandpa didn't come to see what was going on – Otabek probably talked him into this.

"Is she gone?" Otabek sighed.

"Yes" She presented herself as Natalya and asked who he was at first. After he presented himself the Kazakh asked her politely to leave because Yuri was unwell with her around and he didn't need more pressure as he was injured. At first the woman was impressed by his politeness and when she realized what he asked her to do Nikolai asked the same thing, resulting into the woman leaving. She left another letter and the present and knowing Yuri needed time, Otabek remained a few more minutes with the old man in the living room. Nikolai looked demolished – his face was one of a man who lost all he had and it was understandable, Natalya was his daughter and Yuri was his adored grandson.

Yuri got up slowly and curled himself against the wall, his knees under his chin, his posture defensive.

"I'm sorry for yelling" It happened twice in the same day, he was wondering how long his friend would endure his shitty behaviour and his hard words.

"The present is still there"

"I don't want it, Beka, I really don't" He whined and Otabek nodded, understanding.

"I'll bring you a glass of water" It was an excuse to tell Nikolai how things went but he did bring a glass of water, surprised to find Yuri with a big black box in front of him on the bed. He gulped on the water while the Kazakh sat on the bed. "What's this?"

Yuri opened the box. It was filled with letters, unopened, sealed letters with his name on them. They were dated differently and they looked crumpled and bad-maintained, not that it was a surprise.

"I don't know why I kept them" the blonde whispered with a hoarse voice. "I haven't opened one" 90% of his brain didn't want to know anything about that woman, about her "new" life, about her husband or whatever but the other 10% was struggling with the curiosity. It was not a sick curiosity, he just needed a validation, he needed to know he hadn't been thrown away for nothing.

"Do you want to open them?" Yuri opened his mouth and closed it right away. He was lost at words. "It takes time" he encouraged and smiled kindly at the teenager. He then grabbed the box and placed it on the desk, closing it carefully before sitting back on the bed. Yuri was exhausted, all he wanted was to sleep and forget the last few hours happened.

* * *

No one talked about Natalya again, they all pretended the visit didn't happen which resulted in two more days of quiet happiness. They didn't have to do anything grand to feel at ease, which was one of the perks of being friends with Otabek – Yuri could just sit next to him all day without talking and he would still feel comfortable and have a good time. They watched movies and listened to different bands, they talked about the differences between them but also about what made them so alike. Otabek felt funny for celebrating both Christmas and New Year's Eve twice but it was normal as Russians celebrated the Holidays later than everyone else did.

The New Year's Eve was spent with the other skaters at Viktor and Yuuri's place which was a luxurious apartment in a nice neighbourhood in the eastern side of Sankt Petersburg. Yuri said he wanted to be there just because they had a big balcony and they could see the fireworks from there but Otabek suspected he was actually enjoying their company.

Mila was the first to come over with two bottles of champagne that Viktor put in ice.

"Yuuuuuri, we have something for you too" The silver-haired man said and came back with a non-alcoholic champagne for children that had a pink bottle.

"Fuck you" The blonde muttered making everyone laugh and talk about how cute he was when he was pissed which resulted in more insults. It was jolly, like expected and they decided to play truth or dare when someone knocked at the door and Viktor disappeared with a big heart-shaped smile on his face.

"I'm scared" Yuri whispered towards Otabek that smiled as an answer. The surprise was not small when Christophe Giacometti came in wearing a tight jeans suit, black and round sunglasses on his eyes. By his side was a taller man, brown hair – shoulder length and very neat looking. Yuri could remember seeing him before at competitions and wondering why was he there; so Giacometti was the reason.

"Hi guys!" Chris waved and Georgi asked what the hell he was doing here. "Why not celebrate New Year's Eve twice?" He presented then the man as Dorian, his lover and for everyone's cringiness Chris was as sticky as Viktor so the couples ended up making out most part of the night.

They got outside 5 minutes before the countdown, holding all kind of champagnes and glasses. It was very cold outside and Yuri didn't have his jacket with him so he ended up shivering against Otabek's body, searching for warmth in the boy next to him. The Kazakh wrapped and arm around his friend and rubbed the covered skin subtly. No one was paying attention to them which made the blonde feeling somewhat more at ease.

"What will you wish for at midnight?" Yuri asked and Otabek's mouth curled in an almost-smile.

"Gold at the next Grand Prix" The Russian grinned bumping his friend gently with his elbow.

"You'll have to fight me 'cause I wish for that one too" They chuckled and the countdown began. Yuri's been thinking about kissing Otabek at midnight but right now he wasn't so sure about the whole thing.

 **10**

 **9**

They were in public too...

 **8**

 **7**

 **6**

... but it was nobody's business what they did.

 **5**

 **4**

 **3**

 **2**

His heart almost tore his ribcage because of the pounding.

 **1**

He rose on his tiptoes and just when the fireworks exploded on the sky he pressed the shortest kiss possible on Otabek's cheek, feeling his head boiling afterwards. The older teenager didn't respond in any way, knowing he would make a scene; instead he tightened his grip on Yuri's shoulders.

"Happy New Year, Yura!" His words were soft.

"Happy New Year, Beka!" The blush was still there, even when Otabek grabbed the champagne for children and poured some in two glasses. Being Muslim, he never drank alcohol but he could drink some of that pink strawberry-flavoured thing with his friend if that would make him happy.

* * *

Yuri didn't want to think about what was going to happen once Otabek was entering the departure gates. He didn't want to let go of the arm he was clinging to. There were people staring at them but he couldn't care less, that until they reached that doomed spot.

"Yura" Otabek sighed and placed a hand on his neck.

"Thanks for coming here" Yuri said with a hoarse voice, making the Kazakh sigh once again. The blonde took a step back and put a fake grin on. "I'll kick your ass at World's" Otabek chuckled.

"We'll see" He pulled Yuri in a tight hug, knowing that was what he needed before he could be told to go to hell. He smelled nice and his touch was soft so the Russian tried to memorize all these little things he knew he wouldn't have for a few weeks to say at least. He was gonna miss his best friend but he tried to console himself with the fact that they were gonna keep in touch over social media and texts.

"Write me when you land" Yuri ordered and Otabek nodded solemnly before waving and entering the gates.

The first thing Otabek did when he stepped in the Astana International Airport was to send a short text to Yuri, before receiving an Instagram notification. He smiled, knowing who the only person who could have tagged him in anything was and opened the app to see the new picture. It was a picture of some selfies they had made over his time in Sankt Petersburg, a picture of Yuri and Nikolai and one of Sofyia napping on Otabek's lap – all of them took with the Polaroid and stuck to the wall above Yuri's bed. The caption was: **#bestholidays #bestfriends #otabest.**

* * *

 _Author's note: Thank you so much for all your support! Reviews are always welcomed_ _:)_


	8. Chapter 8

March started with still-frozen trees and slowly melting snow making puddles all over the old streets of Sankt Petersburg. Yuri woke up tired on that day and that might have been because he was up late with Otabek who felt the need to tell him "happy birthday" at midnight. At midnight in Russia and in Kazakhstan. He bit the piroschki his grandfather made for him in the morning and looked at the rink where Mila was rehearsing her step sequence from her free program. She was moving gracefully, like most women were on ice and this time she was aiming for a higher score than Sara Crispino's which was obvious from the way she was insisting on perfecting every second.

"Yuuuuuri!" As soon as he heard that annoying voice he sighed and scooted as far as possible because no one else but Viktor Nikiforov was entering the scene. "Happy birthday, my favourite little kitten!" The silver-haired man sang and came closer, cornering Yuri so he couldn't escape from his monstrous hug.

"Call me that again and the police will never find your fucking body!" The younger man snapped, struggling to get away from the touch. "Let me go!" He grunted, pushing the five times gold medallist away with both his hands.

"Yuuri! I caught our son, hurry!" As soon as Viktor shouted that, Katsuki appeared and helped his fiancé almost suffocate the now-sixteen-years-old skater. The grunts and shouts were not enough to chase them away and after more than a minute he was freed.

"Happy birthday, Yuri! I wish the best for you!" Japanese Yuuri said as he let go and Yuri rolled his eyes, trying not to look touched by the affection he just received. He was the punk of skating after all.

"Thanks" It was almost a whisper and then he hurried towards the ice where he began rehearsing on Mila's song. The truth was he didn't particularly like his birthday – for him, it was just another normal day in which other people wished him things and offered him stuff. His grandpa made him breakfast in bed – which was a really special thing as he usually woke up very early, and also offered him a pair of gloves which he could use at the rink. Yakov offered him some boring book and Mila gave him a black backpack that had cat ears on it and some candy which he couldn't eat because Lilia would have ripped his head off.

"Yuuuuuri!" He rolled his eyes in annoyance. He swore to himself to win gold 6 times just so he could rub it in Viktor's face. When he heard the sweeesh of skates on ice he knew there was no way he could escape, trapped by the two almost-married men.

"Have dinner at our place tonight" The blonde sighed, knowing there was no turning back. "I'll prepare some katsudon piroschkis for you and we can have cake" The blonde skated closer, a murderous expression on his face, and whispered something very close to Yuuri's face.

"If Yakov and Lilia will find out that we're eating cake at dinner we will not see the sun again." Yuuri gulped at the words but Viktor burst into laughter.

"It'll be our secret" he assured and rubbed the blonde hair in front of him. They continued their programs as usual as soon as the doors were heard and they realized it was their coach. Yuri wasn't excused so the yells kept coming as usual but he was immune to them after so many years.

Lilia offered him a new pair of pointe shoes which was not a wonder as she was a workaholic but Yuri thanked her either way and did his part in the role he accepted after all. The truth was that he needed this type of work so he could take his mind off certain things – such as loneliness, the pressure of high school, the annoying letters still coming – now twice or thrice a month. He was playing the prince in the play and he had three big scenes – the ball, the fight and the wedding. The hardest one technically was the fight but the others annoyed him more because his partner, a 15 years old girl named Maria was talking too much while rehearsing.

She probably saw the gift because she approached him with a shy smile. He just received a text so he was eager to open it.

 _Beka:_ Altin family is driving me crazy.

Yuri bit back a chuckle when he opened the picture attached to the text. It was Otabek on the sofa, his little sister tugging on his shirt while the older one had her arms wrapped around his neck. His friend took a few days off to visit his family in Almaty and he was constantly texting Yuri and sending him pictures. One thing everyone could agree on: Otabek's social media accounts were 500% more active post-Yuri.

 _Yura:_ Stop complaining and say hi to them for me.

He grinned at himself, thinking about his stupid friend when a voice dragged him back to reality:

"It's your birthday, Yuri, isn't it?" her voice was a little too high for his taste but he turned around to look at her either way, his eyes impassive. She had her hair up in a bun, just like him but her powder pink costume was contrasting his black one. He nodded shortly. "Happy birthday!" She stepped carefully towards her training bag and came back with two cupcakes, one of them which she offered to him.

He was sure he would get fat today but he couldn't refuse a gift. Just when his fingers touched the puffy top sprinkled with chocolate chips Lilia came inside and hell unleashed.

"Yuri Plisetsky and Maria Verenicha, I hope for your own good that my eyes are bad!" Yuri felt a shiver up his spine and dropped the cupcake on the floor, wasting it. In no time the witch was next to them with fiery eyes. "If Yakov would hear about this..." And so it began; the boy forced himself to pick a spot at which to stare while ignoring everything she said, rolling his eyes from time to time when Lilia said the words "grand prix" and "gold medallist". On the other side Maria was terrified and by the time the woman was done, tears clouding her blue eyes.

"Oh come on, man up" Yuri whispered during the ball scene when her small body was pressed against his. It was strange, he was not the motivational-type of guy but this time he felt sorry for her, it was the first year she was working with Lilia and he knew that came as a shock to most people.

Maria's cheeks burned dark shades of pink but she looked away, not talking at all that whole day. He decided to go home after dinner so he headed to Viktor and Yuuri's apartment, feeling something disastrous was going to happen soon. He knocked at the door and the door opened mysteriously, not a face in plain sight. The lights were off.

"What the fuck?" He looked around confused, that until a flying cake came towards him in the hands of Katsuki Yuuri, 16 candles on top of it.

"Happy birthday to youuu" The Japanese skater was not the most talented when it came to singing but soon Nikiforov's voice could be heard and then Mila's and then Georgi's dramatic voice and then of a few more rinkmates' he wasn't particularly fond of but who were... agreeable. He watched them petrified until they finished and he realized they were waiting for a reaction. "Come on, Yuri, make a wish and blow the candles" Yuuri whispered in a kind voice and the blonde closed his eyes, not sure what he should wish. He wished to win the Grand Prix Finals again, to get another gold medal so he opened his eyes and blew all the candles at once. As soon as he did that there were some loud noises and confetti began to rain everywhere and someone turned on the lights, showing the place was filled with colourful balloons.

Viktor was the first to hug him and it seem everyone followed him which left the teen ragged but too tired to protest. They had indeed katsudon piroschkis and he took some home for his grandpa too after they had cake and a fairly good time. He was not used to having so much attention directed towards him, as silly that might sound. His first 15 birthdays were spent with his grandpa mostly so it was quite a change – he had a whole party for himself. He knew who was responsible for this so before heading for the last train he asked Yuuri for a private talk.

"Thanks" It was barely audible but it was there so Yuuri swooned a little, pulling the younger one in another hug he didn't receive. A palm was shoved in his face. "Don't get ahead of yourself"

"You're welcome, Yurio!" The brunette smiled even after the rejection.

As soon as the birthday boy got home he told his grandpa all about it and had a long chat with him before going in his room, opened his laptop and sent Otabek all the pictures he took at the party- which were lots.

 _Yura:_ Home frm Dumb  & Dumber It took his friend a few seconds to answer.

 _Beka:_ Facetime?

He opened Skype and soon Yuri saw his Otabek's tired face. He had a bun on top of his head and he suspected that was the work of Aliya, the youngest Altin.

"Your face, though!" Yuri burst into laughter and made a screenshot, saving it on his desktop.

"It's not funny" His friend's face was trying desperately to remain straight but there was no chance as the sound of Yuri's chuckles made his lips curl in a small smile. Just then two other faces appeared in sight and Otabek sighed.

"It's Yuri Plisetsky!" The one that seemed smaller squeaked while the older nodded. "Hi, I'm Aliya!" he knew that so well but he replied in a friendly manner. The older one, Esther was really beautiful, looking similar to his brother but with a lot more feminine features that matched perfectly her dark, long hair.

"Ota's been talking about you non-stop, it's so annoooooying" Esther said while checking her phone and a light pink tone appeared on the older skater's cheeks. "Wait, it's still your birthday, right?"

"Yeah, kinda"

"Happy birthday!" They both said and after their older brother told them they should leave his bedroom they fled and Otabek pulled at the hair tie, messing the bun and letting the hair falling on his chocolate eyes.

"You need a haircut. Or are you growing it out?" Yuri's brows shot for the sky at the thought of the long-haired Kazakh.

"I wouldn't be able to pull that kind of haircut"

"Of course you could" Was the answer and Yuri felt his face heating, catching himself thinking : Anything would look good on you.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be in Russia for your birthday!" He smiled at that remark – he couldn't expect an international skater to fly in his country at every event, he understood that more than anyone. After all, Otabek really did his best to cheer him up all the time. They talked to each other for more than 5 hours and when he went to bed it was 4 AM already and texted Viktor to tell him he will probably be late tomorrow at the rink. He couldn't sleep though, he kept tossing and turning until he decided there was no point and went to get himself a glass of water.

His grandpa's snoring was lost in the background but Yuri smiled, happy that the old man had such a good sleep. Back in his bedroom he turned off the lights and turned the lamp on, looking under the bed for his darkest secret. It was not that dark but it was something that was haunting his days. He decided it was time to free himself – after all the attention and appreciation he's got on his birthday he was ready to face anything.

Long fingers took the first envelope trembling. He was unsure of where he should start but he decided on the last one he's got – the one that arrived this morning. He ripped the envelope opened and a picture fell on the bedsheet. He picked it up and studied it to see the woman who presented herself as his mother a few months ago next to a blonde girl with pigtails. She seemed to be about 10 years old and her brown eyes were the same with the man holding them both with an arm. He felt something kicking the air out of his lungs when he realized who he was looking at and ripped the photo in two, throwing it on the ground before beginning to read the letter impatient.

His eyes galloped over the words, missing some of them because of the sudden anxiety that clouded his brain. In that letter there were mainly good wishes so he turned the box upside down, looking for the first one he ever received. It was dated 5 years ago and it started vague and by the end he didn't figure out much. Maybe it was because his brain froze the moment he saw the picture, maybe it was the guilt of never being good enough. He felt everything crushing on him so he closed his eyes and seriously thought about going to the rink already. He picked his phone up and dropped it because of the shaking motion before taking a hold of it again and dialling the second number he had on speed dial. His breathing was hitched and after 3 long sounds Otabek picked up but he realized he didn't know what he was going to say. Silence.

"Yura?" The sound of sheets moving was obvious at the other end and Yuri felt bad, knowing he woke his friend up from his sleep.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm fine"

"It's almost 5 AM in Russia, did you get any sleep? What happened?" How could he put into words everything that was going on inside his head? The pain was so acute it stopped his brain so he mumbled an apology and told him they were gonna talk tomorrow before turning his phone off. He looked around confused, as if he was seeing the room for the first time and walked silently towards his grandpa's bedroom. The snore was still there but it didn't bother him, instead of that he climbed under the covers and curled on the free side of bed, careful not to disturb Nikolai.

"Yuratchka?" The old man looked at the curled frame confused but didn't question further seeing the teenager was not willing to talk. The last time Yuri slept with his grandpa he was 5 or 6 – back then he used to have nightmares and hated them because he knew they were his weaknesses. He closed his eyes and smelled the sweet aroma in the air. Grandpa's scent made him feel safe.

* * *

He skated in Greece before reaching Beijing where the Grand Prix Finale was held and he was readier than ever. Everyone was referring to him as the "prodigy skater" and was expecting another gold medal. And he was sure he would get it – the theme he had this year was "determination" and if Yuri Plisetsky didn't know how to portrait determination, no one else did. Otabek won silver in Luxembourg and he was looking forward to skating against his friend. They haven't been talking as much lately – most because of the busy schedules; they had interviews and practice and photo shoots and fan meetings, but they messaged each other as much as they could, mostly to tell the other how things were going on their side of world.

It was fun to have someone who understood everything about what you did. That was what Yuri was thinking as he got his skates ready for the Free Program. Victor helped him this time too but Yakov was the one to put the pieces together and now he had an outstanding program. It was slower than the one he won with but he was sure he was going to pull it off in the best way. As soon as the lights were on him the world disappeared and the only thing he could hear was the "swishhh" of the ice under his feet. He was not skating for the crowd cheering or for the judges, he was unleashing himself so he could be himself, so he could prove his worth. He missed one landing but he recovered fast and he didn't realize he jumped with both hands up every time. He was in a kind of trance until it ended, in fact he barely saw Yakov waiting for him at the hug and kiss place. On the way there he picked a stuffed grumpy cat and a bouquet of roses and as soon as he saw the score he was sure he would win gold.

The round plate of metal felt heavy around his neck and he was tired but he waited until every magazine got its photo and looked down at Otabek who won bronze. It was the first time the Kazakh was on that podium and he gasped surprised when he felt a slender arm wrap around his neck and Yuri's weight on his shoulder as he was posing for another picture. The press exploded but not for long because the Russian was tired and all he wanted was to lay down somewhere before the banquet. He grabbed his friend's hand and pulled him towards the exit, knowing everyone followed them with their eyes.

"Yakov's gonna explode" Otabek said as they reached the changing rooms where Yuri simply put his jacket on top of his costume and waited for his friend to do the same.

"Congrats to you too" he said sarcastic and grabbed his phone. "I'll tell Mila to pick the rest of our things. Go!" Yuri's Angels were gonna be there really soon and they were going to scream of murder as soon as they saw them so he was eager to leave and head towards the hotel where both of them were staying. Otabek's bike was fast so it didn't last long for them to get to his room where they locked the door behind them. Yuri jumped on the bed and settled to covering it all like a starfish, making the older boy smile.

"How does the two times gold medallist and winner of GPF feel?" The blonde's voice was low and hoarse when he chuckled.

"Sleepy. How does the bronze medallist and winner of GPF feel?" he replied and Otabek answered by laying down next to him and looking at him with big eyes. "Let's set the alarm and sleep an hour" He nodded but he didn't fall asleep, instead he watched his best friend falling in slumber as his fingers were tracing his free strands of hair. It was a lot longer, reaching his back but not long enough to look like Viktor Nikiforov's in his golden days. It was beautiful either way and he wished to see it without any braid, just falling around his body.

Yuri unconsciously cuddled closer, curled as he was so Otabek wrapped an arm around him, caressing his back in a soothing motion. He missed him, that was a given. He was sad they couldn't see each other properly until today but they had a tonight and tomorrow together so they had time to spend. He knew his phone was probably bombed with calls and texts but he didn't check, he stood like that, holding Yuri gingerly, trying not to disturb his sleep. When the alarm went off he stopped it and shook his shoulder gently.

"Yura, wake up" The boy grumbled and turned his back to him, amusing the Kazakh further. "Yuri" he whispered gently and the "victim" finally began to rub his eyes sleepily.

"Hate you" he mumbled and earned a laugh.

"Well, you wouldn't want to miss the banquet" He was right with that so he got on his feet, stretching a bit. "Wait a little" he got up too and saw they were of the same height. "You grew up at least 2 inches"

"Well, it's been a while" More than 5 months. "I'll go and change. Meet you soon?" Otabek nodded and looked for his own suit. It was black and simple but it looked good on him. He placed his medal on the free chair in front of the mirror. After he got ready he decided to call his family that was gathered in Almaty to see the competition. His mother answered with a squeak.

"Congratulations! We are so proud of you" she was already crying so the next few words were not understandable, making him smile. He could picture all of them watching the tv and cheering on. "You are the hero of Kazakhstan, son!"

"Thank you, mom" he got emotional the next few minutes when the entire family talked to him and told him he was the pride of his country. An angry knock on the door announced him he had to go so he said his goodbyes before opening the door to see his friend in a black suit with a leopard print bow at his neck and with his hair in a ponytail.

"Ready?"

The banquet was as tranquil as it could be with Yuri hissing at everyone and drinking a worrying quantity of punch that Viktor kept bringing him. It was his first time drinking alcohol so his vision got blurry quickly and he got very... affectionate. He had a potty mouth still but he proceeded in hugging Yuuri Katsuki and clinging onto him, that until Viktor came running to Otabek to tell him to "keep his boy under control". Beka blushed when the older skater called Yuri "his boy" but went to him, shocked that he was indeed wrapped around Katsudon.

The blonde turned to him.

"Bekaaaa!" At that he jumped into his best friend's arms and wrapped his arms and legs around him, forcing the Kazakh to sustain his body with both arms. "What's with zaaat look? Is you' night too, you grumpy bastard" Otabek would have thought he was dreaming of he wouldn't feel the hot breath of the world champion on his neck skin. Yuri Plisetsky was nuzzling his neck like a kitten; in a crowded room. Where there was press. He tried to let him down to avoid any scandal but the blonde held tighter.

"Yura, people are staring"

"You're smelling good, Beka" Otabek felt his cheeks heating. Yuri started to hiccup.

"I think you had enough fun tonight"

"Old bastard" He chuckled at his own joke but didn't protest when he was left down this time and when his hand was grabbed by a bigger one, pulling him towards the door. The cold air hit his body and he began to whine while Otabek was looking for a cab to get back to the hotel. In the elevator Yuri gasped.

"What?"

"Think I lef' my keys at the banque-" Hiccup. Otabek got his phone out and texted Yuuri to ask him to look for a set of keys around.

"You're not even at the legal age of drinking"

"Pussy" The blonde burst into laughter and Beka rolled his eyes, guiding him towards his bedroom where he went to the bathroom. When he entered the room Yuri was only in boxers, the bronze medal hanging around his neck while he was posing in front of the mirror. "Does it look good on me?"

He might've got taller but he had the same slender waist and as suspected, he had pale and flawless skin, blonde hair barely covering his thin legs. His chest was not broad, not in an over-masculine manner and on top of that his nipples were of an inviting pale pink that made Otabek gulp. He had tiger-print boxers on and they were cupping his backside perfectly, tight enough to tantalize.

"Put some clothes on, for God's sake" he whispered as a reply, looking away so he wouldn't go crazy. His friend had other plans so he came closer to him and wrapped his arms around his middle.

"Does that mean I'm not hot enough for you?" Their chests were pressed together so Otabek sighed, untangling the limbs from his body.

"You're drunk"

"So?" the blonde whined before some clothes were thrown at him and he began to dress them, giggling – yes, giggling – when he realized just how large the t-shirt was on him. When he was done he climbed on the bed and waited for Otabek to come and sit, so he could crawl in his lap.

"Go to sleep" The blonde was playing with the hair, making it fall on his deep brown eyes.

"You got more handsome" Yuri whispered and his hands grabbed his shoulders. "And buffer" Another chuckle followed by a hiccup. "How comes you don't have drooling girls running to you?"

"How do you know I don't?" The Russian retreated with a conflicted look on his face. He looked somewhat hurt. "I refuse all of them"

"Why?"

"Because I don't want them" Yuri nodded and leaned closer, pulling on his hair tie to free his blonde crown. Their forehead pressed together and in that moment Otabek wanted to tell him he wanted only him but he knew Yuri would probably not remember anything in the morning. He looked just as beautiful as he expected with his hair free and he caressed the softness that was the other's hair.

"I missed you"

"I know, I missed you too, Yura" At those words the blonde leaned his mouth for a quick peck on the lips that made Otabek tighten his arms around his body. "Come to Kazakhstan for a few weeks" Green eyes widened at the suggestion and a soft "yes" filled the room. "I'll cook you traditional food and show you around"

"Sounds good" He grabbed Otabek's forearms and pulled so they both fell on the bed, the Russian still laughing. He was looking young and wild, his hair all over the place and Beka took the sight in with a smile, knowing it was a rare one to witness.

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Thank you very much for reading! Reviews feed my writer soul x


	9. Chapter 9

He didn't necessarily enjoy planes – it was probably because he spent a lot of time travelling and it was all too familiar. It wasn't a long flight – almost 4 hours but he still felt annoyed with the women walking down the corridor and with the bad-tasting food and with the fact he had no internet. He took some pictures of the clouds and then of his new sneakers before he turned the music on and put his earphones in. He realized it was the first time he visited Kazakhstan while he was preparing his luggage so he looked up some places he wanted to see and made a list on his phone and decided he would show it to Otabek and see if his friend could make it happen.

The day after winning gold at the Grand Prix Finale was... awkward, to say at least. He woke up with a terrible headache, one that made him hate the world more than he already did. He was in Otabek's bed, which was not strange because it wasn't the first time they slept together but this time his head was on the Kazakh's chest and his drool somehow got on the other's shirt. _Awesome_. When he began cleaning the saliva with his hand Otabek woke up, confused and disorientated.

"Yura?" His sleepy voice was low and hoarse and it sounded... sexy. Yuri's cheeks heated at the thought and looked away, not sure how to explain. A knock on the door made him wince and the older skater furrowed his brows, scratching his ear.

"It's probably the maid, ignore her and she'll go away" The blonde mumbled and got up, stretching his hurting neck. "Can I use your shower?" He didn't wait for an answer but headed for the bathroom where he discarded the large clothes. He smelled his skin before entering the shower and realized he was smelling of Otabek, which made him turning the water on faster so it could wash away the warmth of his cheeks. He was singing a Guns N Roses song when he had a flashback from last night and shouted a clear "Fuck!". Of course Otabek heard and asked him if everything was okay. Everything was okay – he just jumped on his best friend last night and kissed him after stripping and wearing his medal. No biggie.

The still-17-years old acted completely natural all day, like he had amnesia but Yuri still uncomfortable enough to avoid his eyes at times. They visited around, following Picchit's advices and they parted in high spirits, Otabek leaving first. The next few days were spent in glory, answering interviews, signing some image contracts and begging his grandparent to let him visit Kazakhstan for two weeks. He was in a break so he didn't need Yakov or Lilia's permission – thank God for that. After a little convincing work he got his approval and that was the reason why he was sighing every 5 seconds, wanting to land already. When they finally landed he was the first one to unbuckle the belt and pick his backpack before heading towards the exit, knowing there were some people grumbling behind him.

Thank God there were signs written in Russian and English too because other way he wouldn't have known where he should pick his luggage from. He had two bags, fairly big and walked his way out, hoping Otabek would be there. He was still wearing only black and he seemed a little taller, a small smile plastered on his face. He had a nice smile –Yuri wished he could see it more often, even if he was the only one having the privilege to see it beside the Altins. He felt the need to drop his stuff and jump on him but the way he acted in Beijing was still torturing him so he decided to nod at his friend instead, scowling at him.

"Hi, Yura" Otabek said and grabbed one of the bags, wondering what the hell was inside it. They had small talk on the way outside, mostly about the flight and once they stepped on the warm ground of Astana Yuri looked around for the familiar bike. "It's that one" The older skater pointed towards a massive black car before continuing. "I borrowed it from a friend"

"You sound like an old man" Yuri replied with a smirk.

"I knew your luggage couldn't be carried with my bike" The blonde shrugged his shoulders, it wasn't his fault he had so many things he needed to travel with. "We're going to my place"

"It would be weird to go to someone else's place" Yuri said in a could-you-be-more-obvious-tone, making the brunette laugh while getting on the driver's seat an pulling in the traffic of Astana. "So how comes you're not with your family?"

"I spent the first week with them, we can visit them if you'd like" The Russian nodded, the thought of meeting his family seeming appealing. Otabek said numerous times he was raised in a traditional Muslim family and that even if his father was a business man his childhood has been nothing out of ordinary. Out of all children, he seemed the calmest but that was probably because he was going to be the head of the family one day, after his father would pass away. His parents were supporting of his skating and they were proud of their son, trying to ignore the worry of him not having a stable job. Skating had a limit age, everyone knew you couldn't go on forever and that was exactly why Mr. and Mrs. Altin insisted on their son never giving up his studies.

It lasted almost an hour for them to get to the apartment complex and once they did Yuri stared with big eyes at the place. It was huge and it looked luxurious.

"8th floor" Otabek announced and pressed the button of the elevator. The apartment itself was as expected, very neat – humungous and neat. It was obvious only a male was living in it because there was no much decoration, it couldn't be described as cozy but as practical. "You can leave your things in the bedroom" The Kazakh pointed towards the last door on the hall and Yuri hurried towards that place, taking all his bags along. This was the part of the house he was most interested in – Otabek Altin's bedroom. It was not much bigger than his own, but unlike his it didn't have posters everywhere, just a picture of them beside the bed and a landscape picture on the other wall. The predominant colour was beige, not that it was a bad thing but everything seemed... dull.

"You really are an old man!" Yuri shouted amused and jumped on the bed, squealing when he realized it had a water mattress on. It might've been because of Sofyia but Yuri's instinct was to hiss at the surprise and grab the thing with both hands to make it stop. When Otabek came in and saw the image he burst into laughter, sitting down himself and making the surface wiggle. "How can you sleep on this shit?"

"I will take it out for you" The simple reply caused Yuri's ears and cheeks to colour in a pale shade of pink.

"You don't have to" The teen jumped to look at the only picture hanging on the wall. It was a selfie they took with the Polaroid during the Christmas Holiday and Beka was wearing reindeer horns that matched his ugly sweater. He was smiling subtle while Yuri was grinning, showing Sofyia so she could be captured too. "I like this picture"

"Me too"

The blonde jumped back on the bed where he stretched his limbs.

"Do we have plans today?"

"No"

"I am jetlagged" Otabek nodded and when his friend yawned he was sure he was going to be napping soon, which was not a bad thing at all. He didn't care what they did as long as they could be together so when Yuri actually fell asleep while he was being told some random stories he had in store, he picked a blanket and covered him, the back of his hand gently brushing his soft cheek. He watched him sleeping for a while, admiring the peaceful expression and the innocence but after a while he decided he should cook something so he slowly got up and headed to the kitchen, hoping he would find something useful in the fridge.

He didn't. He wrote a small note telling he was gone to the grocery store and coming back soon and then hurried towards the closest supermarket, thinking hard what he should do. He doubted Yuri ever tasted any Kazakh food so he decided on Palau which was delicious and consisted. He even called his mother to ask if she had any tips to make the dish better, ready to apply her advices and hurrying to be the first in line at the cashier. The girls working there knew him and the blonde one taking care of him was smiling widely at him, surprised by the things he was buying. When he was alone Otabek rarely cooked complicated things, he was more of a take-out kind of guy.

"Thank you!" he murmured in Kazakh and ran home, enjoying the feeling of his legs' muscles stretched after a while. When he entered the hall of his apartment he got his shoes off using his feet only and headed towards the kitchen, surprised when a blonde head peaked from there. "You woke up"

"Uh-uh" Yuri had bed hair still and there were some pillow marks on his cheek which made him look like a 10 years old, especially now that he was staring with big green eyes at the bags Otabek was holding.

"Are you hungry?" The blonde's stomach grumbled and Otabek decided to take that as a yes. "I'll cook something for you... or would you rather order something?" The Russian was still confused but as hungry as he was he was going to wait for his friend to cook rather than have take-out. After he spoke out his wish he sat on one of the chairs in front of the small bar and studied Beka moving around and preparing the dish. He felt pampered already and it was a weird feeling because beside his grandpa no one did this type of things for him, no one ever tried to make him feel this comfortable. Stupid Beka, he thought with a smile on his lips.

"You don't eat pork, do you?" He was really curious about this.

"No, not really. Though I am not as religious as my family because I spent a lot of my time training in Canada and other places." Yuri almost forgot that Otabek used to have JJ as a rink mate when they were younger. "I am not a big fan of meat in general"

"That means you can't eat katsudon or katsudon piroschkis" The older man shrugged, not really sure what those were and Yuri began to explain. "Katsudon's piggy's favourite meal, it's noodles and pork and stuff"

The Kazakh didn't have the time to reply because just then someone knocked at the door and he asked Yuri to see for the rice while he was answering. Yuri wondered if his friend was expecting someone and as soon as he heard muffled chuckles at the door his curiosity spiked. It was a girl's voice, that was for sure – but who was she? Against his best judgement he tiptoed across the kitchen and looked to see who was at the door. It was a tall girl, a little taller than Otabek and she looked beautiful – she had long brown hair that fell to her middle in waves and the biggest blue eyes. She saw him so instead of jumping back in the kitchen like a weirdo he went forward to greet her with a sceptical look.

"You are.." she gasped.

"Yuri Plisesky" he shook her hand, his eyes fixating her beautiful face with envy. Why was this person making his friend laugh?

"I'm a big fan, I'm Sasha" He didn't smile when he shook her hand and he kept scowling. "I hope you'll enjoy Kazakhstan, Ota – take care of him properly" Yuri didn't like the way the girl addressed Otabek, it was... too familiar. He began to feel a strange pressure in his body so he excused himself to take care of the food, not that he had any idea how to do that. Once in the kitchen he jumped on the counter, bouncing his legs annoyed; He didn't know the origin of this feeling but it was uneasy, he felt rage taking over so once Otabek returned he greeted him with an ugly scowl, blonde brows furrowed.

"It's burning, Romeo" he said pointing to the food. He then went to the bathroom where washed his face with cold water. _What the fuck is going on with you, Plisetsky?_ He groaned and returned to the kitchen where the air was filled with a delicious aroma. "Smells good" he said and Otabek showed him where he could take the plates from.

"Do you wanna watch TV while eating?" Yuri nodded so they took the plates to the livingroom where they sat on the sofa, at opposite poles and began to eat in silence while an old movie played.

"This tastes really good" the Russian mumbled after the first bite and Otabek smiled kindly. "So... who's Sasha?"

The Kazakh wondered if he was right and his friend was indeed jealous. The last time he saw such an expression on Yuri's face was back in St. Petersburg, in that restaurant where Mila overstepped his privacy and threw herself at him. That outburst was followed by him running away but it was clear that now he couldn't because he had no idea where he could go.

"Sasha's a childhood friend, she brought me a book I borrowed her a while ago" His voice was calm, like he was dealing with a child – which in one way or another was true. Blonde brows were still furrowing while their owner kept eating, avoiding the brown eyes who were watching him concentrated. There was no answer right away but after a few minutes Yuri felt the need to speak.

"I think she likes you"

Otabek knew he was skating on thin ice, he was familiar with Yuri's tantrums though it was rare for Yuri to throw them because of him.

"Why do you think so?"

"Because" The answer came like a petulant child's and nothing followed which caused a sigh from the older skater. After they have done eating they washed the dishes together but the atmosphere was still heavy and Otabek kept sighing because that was not how he imagined Yuri's first day in Kazakhstan.

"Do you want to go for a drive?" Was his idea and the blonde looked at his phone to check if anyone looked for him before he nodded. After Otabek dressed his leather jacket and Yuri his hoodie they headed outside where the motorcycle was waiting for them. The drive remembered the Russian about the time they met in Barcelona, he used to hold his friend just like that, his arms sneaked around his waist for safety. He remembered Otabek was the one suggesting that and as annoyed as he felt at the moment, he decided it was a good idea.

"Where are we going?" They were at a red light.

"Near the Baiterek tower" The Kazakh answered and speeded up when the light turned green. Yuri remembered reading something about the tower, he was almost sure it was somewhere on his list but he couldn't remember where it was or what it did. Anyway, if Otabek chose that place then it must've been something special about it.

The city was half as big as Sankt Petersburg but it still took a while to reach the place and when they finally did the Russian skater took the helmet off, watching the tower with big eyes. Yep, he definitely put it on his list.

"It's too late, it must be closed" Yuri stated, looking around to see there were no other humans beside them.

"It's not the tower we're visiting. Follow me" On the other side of the tower was a park and in the middle of it some fountains that were changing colours from time to time could be seen. Yuri bit his lower lip, not having the heart to tell Otabek he saw this stuff before. The brunette checked the time solemnly. "We've arrived in time" Somewhere far away a clock announced it was 8 PM and Otabek pointed towards a lake that had a big metallic circle in the middle. A soft music began and lasers began to form all kind of figures on the water fluttering in time with the music. It was beautiful – it started with horses galloping and then transformed in different animals and at the end even in Kazakh soldiers. Otabek was satisfied with the look of awe on his friends face so he couldn't contain his smile, especially when green eyes widened at a sight of a tiger on the water waves.

"Beka, look at that shit!" Yuri gasped enthusiastic, pulling at his sleeve like a 5 years old.

"I knew you'd like it" Was the reply. Too bad the entire show lasted a little over 10 minutes and by the time it ended Yuri was already sulking. "Yura, run" The blonde didn't realize when his hand was caught in a fairly bigger and warmer one but he followed his friend blindly, wondering why were they running until he saw the place they were heading too, it was an alley made of fountains and now the fountains were moving, splashing water in a manner in which they created a small path. They were the only ones running and the childish happiness intoxicated Yuri's soul as the colours kept changing and the streams of water followed them. He burst into laughter and got ahead Otabek, pulling his friend by the hand.

"Hurry! Or we'll get wet!" Yuri's voice was higher with an octave and Beka didn't refuse, feeling happy himself. They didn't see it coming but they were almost near the end when water poured over them, soaking their hair and clothes.

"Shit!" Otabek laughed and Yuri looked at him curious because it was so rare for the Kazakh to curse. As soon as their eyes met they burst into laughter and continued to run their way out of the water tunnel, knowing there was nothing they could do anymore. In the park Yuri took a handful of his hair and began to squeeze it, trying to dry it while still chuckling.

"That was so fun" He said and Otabek smiled content, happy his plan of making his best friend feeling better worked. Blonde hair was stuck on the sides of his face and in that moment they were both glad it was so warm outside. The older skater's hand rushed through Yuri's hair, gently getting out of his face. "Thanks"

"Come, there must be a shop around here" They found indeed a small shop still opened and when they stepped in the customers watched them like they were crazy, puddles forming where they were stepping. Thankfully they found some towels that were selling and bought a few, happy that they could dry themselves a little bit. "There's a park around here, do you want to see it?"

"Hell yea!" The stars were glowing on the cloudless sky and as soon as they reached the park they've been talking about Yuri realized he didn't photograph anything in Kazakhstan yet so he pulled Otabek for a selfie. He snapped a few and when he checked them he cursed.

"What happened?"

"My hair looks weird" It looked frizzy indeed but not necessarily bad.

"It's okay" The Kazakh assured his now-blushing friend. After walking through the entire green place and engaging in casual talks they decided to go back "home" where they took a shower and decided it was time for sleep. Yuri looked around a little disorientated, he wasn't sure where his place was and he felt too nervous to ask if he was going to sleep in Otabek's bedroom. The bed was double, queen sized and it wasn't like it was the first time they had to share a bed. They were checking the social media on their phones when Otabek realized how late it was and muttered: "I can have the sofa"

"You're fine here" The blonde muttered, still concentrated on his Instagram. Otabek Altin smiled while his eyes roamed on the stretched body beside him. The legs of his friend were near his own chest while his thumbs were furiously typing something. He mumbled something in Russian and slammed the phone on the bed, rolling so now he was on his back, a hand under his head. "Beka?"

"Hm?"

"Play that song you sent me" He never thought Yuri Plisetsky was going to be into that kind of music but he liked this one so he searched for it on YouTube. "Beach" by The Neighbourhood began to play on the background and Otabek gulped because the song had so much meaning to him. The lyrics spoke more than he could ever dare to say out loud. "Beka?" He woke up from his thoughts and saw green eyes were following him. His eyebrows shot for the sky. "Did you ever have a girlfriend?" It was a weird subject and also an uncomfortable one but he knew he couldn't deny the younger's curiosity.

"Yes" Yuri's eyes widened in surprise.

"How many?"

"Two but they didn't last because of my schedule" The blonde nodded, getting what it was about. "Why?"

"I don't know, you seem the serious type" It was the most random thing he could think about but he was caught off guard so that was the result. That was all his brain could manage to come up with in such a tensioned state. Maybe he was curious about Sasha and that was how he ended up asking stupid questions. Otabek nodded, he was indeed not the type to beat around the bush but he also never had the chance to be in a relationship with someone he loved. His first crush was a certain ballet dancer and seeing him all the time on the big screen never helped him find new people, especially with his busy life.

"Have you?" The tone was soft, almost shy.

"Naah, I'm the punk of skating" He chuckled darkly. Like that could explain his lack of love interests. "I bet no one could put up with my shit"

"Yura" Otabek stopped him, his eyes glancing sad at the ironic smile.

"So how does it feel, Beka? Having someone you love?"

Otabek gulped when the song changed to "Nothing's gonna hurt you baby" by Cigarettes after Sex.

"It feels like your heart breaks every time you see them" He gulped again. "It's a mix of bitterness and sweetness, even if you feel like dying you keep wanting more" The thought of his friend feeling that way because of some girl made his heart sting. He didn't want to hear anymore.

"I want to sleep" he murmured bluntly and got ready to sleep on his side of bed. "Good night" It was the second time he shut Beka out that day and he felt terrible, this trip was nothing like he imagined. Why the fuck did he have to feel so weird? Why couldn't he act normal for once?

He shifted and turned and shifted again. He wasn't really sleepy, of course something like this would happen. He turned towards Otabek and saw the Kazakh was facing the opposite direction, his broad back making Yuri bite his lower lip. He grabbed his phone.

 _YuriPlisetsky_ : Katsudon, I have to ask you something. I feel fucking weird...

He deleted the text and closed his eyes but Otabek's words kept ringing in his ears. He wondered how he would react if his friend would tell him one day he found someone he liked. They were friends for over a year now, best friends and this never happened so maybe he didn't need to worry about it. But still.. Otabek was attractive and nice and talented and he had the most kissable mouth... He almost squeaked at the thought and his heart began racing inside his chest.

He could already hear Yuuri's reply. But he couldn't be in love with Otabek, could he? It wasn't like the boy ever thought about him that way, they were simply friends. They held hands and kissed a few times but he was sure that was normal in friendships. The first person he wanted to talk to in the morning was Otabek, the only person he showed his skating programs before competitions was Otabek, the only person he could talk about anything was Otabek. _**Holy fucking shit!**_ He suddenly raised in a sitting position, making the mattress move under him.

"Yura?"

"Fuck! Fuck!" He groaned and the brunette got up, alarmed.

"What happened?" His sleepy voice made Yuri's tummy feel warmer than usual. "Are you okay?" The one in case eyed him with angry eyes, like it was obvious what was going on.

"I'm not fucking okay! How could I be fucking okay?!" The blonde shouted and Otabek turned on the lamp on his nightstand, still confused. The realization hit Yuri like a train."I fucking fell for you!" The tone grew more alarmed with each word and his mouth dropped open when he realized what he just said. This was not good, not good at all. Otabek was staring at him like he just said the Earth was flat but the shock slowly turned into something else and pale cheeks turned light pink. He wasn't sure how to act so he simply sat back on his side of bed, facing away – a very mature way of dealing with problems.

"Yura" It was a whisper that made his eyes water. He didn't want to ruin everything, Otabek was his best friend. He didn't want pity either. "Yura" The bed sheets shifted and he was confused at first, before he saw Otabek's naked feet near the edge and the man knelt to have a proper look at his face. Yuri got up once again – looking his friend straight in the eye. Of course Otabek was not the type to let things go that easily.

"It's your fucking fault, okay? You're always so nice and you spoil me all the fucking time and you're..." he was babbling and he knew he only made things worse.

"I feel the same" The silence was too loud, Yuri felt his heart almost cracking his ribcage. He never felt such a thing, it was a suffocating feeling, confusion eating his entire soul. "I loved you ever since I met you at that ballet summer camp, 7 years ago" The air was kicked out of his lungs when he heard the words.

Yuri was scared and it was obvious – the concerned greens being the main proof. The last thing Otabek wanted was to cause him anxiety so he held back and didn't lean for a long-desire kiss. The idea of Yuri loving him back was surreal, he could wait. His fingers caressed a warm cheek and brushed an imaginary tear off blonde and long lashes.

"Nothing will change?" His voice was small and hoarse, filled with angst. Otabek smiled and shook his head.

"If you don't want to, nothing will change" It was a warm reassurance and he didn't need more, he leaned into the touch, trying to silence his heart. "Okay?" The blonde nodded. The older skater climbed back on the bed and settled on his side, unsure if he should touch Yuri or not. He was dizzy with happiness, he never imagined something like this would happen, especially not at 1 A.M. in his bedroom in Astana.

"Beka?" The Russian asked, long hair falling around his upper body like a silk curtain as he turned to face Otabek. His usually pale cheeks were still tainted with pink and he looked beautiful.

"Hmm?" No answer. He looked everywhere but at the brown orbs studying him.

"Can I... uhmm" He got red. "Can I come closer?" The Kazakh chuckled at the flustered teen and extended his hand, offering him a warm place next to his body. Yuri hesitantly rested his head on his chest and he relaxed when he realized he was not the only nervous one. Otabek's skin felt nice and warm, it made him sleepy.

"We need to talk about this" Yuri looked up.

"About cuddling?" Otabek's face broke in a grin.

"Obviously not"

"Good, I don't think you need improvement" Yuri purred and his leg ended around Otabek's hips.

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A/N: Thank you for reading! I will eagerly wait for your reviews x


	10. Chapter 10

Otabek opened his eyes once the sun rays fell over his face and he grumbled, displeased with the curtains. It took him a while to remember everything what was going on and his brown eyes widened when he saw he was alone in bed and his heart began to beat faster so he got up, panicked. It wouldn't have surprised him if Yuri would have simply took the first plane back to Russia, that's why he ran his fingers through his hair and headed towards the bathroom, knocking at the door to see if he was inside. He wasn't so he began to walk down the hall, trying to prepare himself for anything. Last night when Yuri confessed he felt beyond happy – he still was ecstatic but he didn't forget his friend's reaction, not for a second. He felt relief washing over him when hearing the TV and exhaled when he saw a blonde head resting against the sofa's backrest, realizing he's been holding his breath all this time. Blue eyes focused on him and he smiled when he saw Yuri was wearing a baggy hoodie with tiger straps and had the flashiest leggings on, along with fluffy socks.

"Morning, Beka!" Otabek answered. "I made pancakes, they're on the counter" The brunette walked towards the kitchen and found indeed a plate filled with pancakes, all of them looking good. Yuri followed him and watched as Otabek began to put Nutella over one and gracefully took a bite of it, looking at him as if he was asking if he wanted some. "You like them?"

"Of course" Yuri started learning recipes when he was about 9 and his grandfather took a part time job, leaving him home during some afternoons. Even if he had enough food in the fridge, the young Russian skater enjoyed to prepare things for himself too, especially simple ones that could fill his stomach right away. He would sometimes even surprise Nikolai with pastries he made and he went as far as baking birthday cakes for the old man. "Did you wake up very early?" The blonde straightened his back, his spine making cracking sounds.

"I think I slept in until 7" Was the answer and Otabek checked the clock on the wall to see it showed 8:30. For usual training days it was very late but he thought that Yuri might want to sleep until noon as he was free; it seemed he didn't.

"So what did you do?"

"I face-timed dedushka and stupid Viktor and Katsudon. They're as gross as ever in case you are wondering" Yuri groaned, making his friend chuckle.

"You seem fond of them"

"Nah but their old asses would feel lonely without me" He jumped so now he was sitting on the counter. "It's called charity" Yea, of course. Otabek continued to eat his pancake while watching the blonde dangle his feet back and forth in the air. "They're all over each other, it's disgusting" He continued to mumble about the wedding they were planning, how Makkachin was doing and about how training went back home. "What are the plans for today?" He was obviously trying to distract the older skater.

"I thought we were supposed to discuss" Otabek was not the type to beat around the bush. Yuri began to tap the counter with the back of his foot, achieving some kind of rhythm.

"What's there to discuss?" The Kazakh threw him a "really?" glance but that didn't make the blonde even flinch so it was clear where they were standing – Otabek bottled his feelings long enough not to contest their positions. He could live with having Yuri just as a friend, though he was disappointed – he fell asleep with the thought of holding the Russian, kissing him and being his most important person.

The holiday went a lot worse than both of them expected. Yuri had to fly back home a week earlier because Lilia decided the ballet shows will start earlier than programmed and he needed training, he didn't have the chance to meet the Altin family and the atmosphere was heavy between them. It wasn't anything special that put them off – they were acting the same but the fact that there were things untold, unresolved between them made them feel weird. The nights spent with Otabek's friend Yuri was mostly feeling like an outsider and checked his Instagram as often as possible. He wasn't good with dealing with so many people at once, he felt intimidated and he felt a low-key jealousy because those people knew his best friend better than he did. They knew Otabek for longer than he did, they had inside jokes and he felt... replaceable. Adding the anxiousness of dealing with his feelings and not knowing how to act was the recipe of disaster and once he reached Sankt Petersburg he felt like he could breathe. After spending the evening with Nikolai he went straight to his bedroom, muffled a scream into his pillow and hugged Sofyia close to his chest. He was sure he screwed things up, he was sure Otabek would never talk to him again or talk less and he was going to end alone. He was going to be busy, moving in with Lilia and Yakov for a few weeks and starting training but that didn't mean he won't miss everything about Beka. He realized part of the fault was his for not having a proper reaction, a proper answer.

Otabek promised nothing was going to change but it was clear that could not happen.

* * *

Maria watched her partner with big eyes, black lashes marking shadows on her white cheeks. Yuri Plisetsky was a lot grumpier than he was before and that was something, as he was known for his bad behaviour. The blue and black marks on his feet were the results of his over-work and even Lilia seemed worried for him and frequently ordered him to take breaks and eat sweets. When they were done she waited for him to get out of the lockers and sighed when she saw he was on the phone.

"Can you pick me up?" He mumbled in the phone and turned to his younger dance partner. "Do you need anything?" The girl's face turned beet red.

"I was wondering if you want to have something to eat with me." The Russian ran his fingers through his bangs, discovering his green eyes. It was clear what her intention was and maybe it was not such a bad idea.

"Can't. I'm meeting a friend. See you tomorrow" Mila was coming to pick him up and they were going to spend their night at her place because he needed someone to talk to and there was no way he was going to Yuuri because Viktor was going to be there too and he didn't need them together. He needed real advice.

They ended up having KFC – Yakov would have murdered them if he would have seen them – and Mila was painting Yuri's nails a very dark blue while the blonde kept bitching about what was going on.

"I could swear it was Altin" Mila shouted, going to Yuri's left hand. "By the way, this colour suits you" He started painting his nails – well, letting Mila doing it, a few days after coming back to Russia and he only used dark colours. His hands were pretty, he had long fingers and having well-trimmed and painted nails was a plus.

"Thanks."

"Do you guys still text?" He nodded. They were texting just like before but there was something missing.

"He went to have lunch with his ex-girlfriend today" he fumbled for his phone and showed her a screen-shot he took. It was a picture of two cups of hot chocolate with the caption "missed you" and with Otabek tagged in it. He knew about this girl – Alya; Otabek told him before about her, they've been together for almost half a year.

"So? He's allowed to see other people, it's not like you're together" Mila sang and the blonde gulped.

"I know" His voice was almost a whisper.

"For such a badass, you're a pussy when it comes to accepting your feelings, kitten. I'm sure that if you'd tell Otabek what you want things would change" Yuri moaned. He had no idea what he wanted. "Yuratchka" Mila hissed.

"Don't call me that, only grandpa calls me that" He warned.

"We've been over this subject a few times now. You admitted – you fell for Otabek. You want to kiss him and be gross with him like Viktor and Katsuki are" She made some kissing sounds and Yuri groaned, falling on his back and trying not to ruin his nails. "So what's so hard to understand?" Just then his lock-screen lit up and he grabbed the phone. Mila struggled to get closer so she could stare at the message. It was a picture, a selfie of Otabek, his hair wet as he just got out of the shower. He had a brick-face, as usual, but you could figure out he was topless by the showing skin. The scream almost tore his eardrum.

"What the fuck, hag?!" he yelled.

"He's so fucking hot!" Yuri hissed.

"Shut up!" He saved the picture, though. "I know that already" his cheeks heated and Mila almost wanted to coo in delight. Her little Yuratchka was in love. "He says hi"

"If that's how he says hi I want to know how your deeper conversations are" A pillow hit her face. "Behave, kitty!" she launched herself over Yuri's feet, trapping him under her weight. "Send him a selfie too" She was right, he should do that. He took a selfie of himself, biting his index seductively and showing his nails and also looking sexy as fuck, watching the camera through long lashes. If there was a thing Yuri Plisetsky was good at beside skating and ballet, it was taking selfies.

Little did he know that back in Astana, Otabek Altin almost died, choking on his protein shake.

 _Beka: Looking good tonight, going anywhere?_

Yuri smirked.

 _Yura: Do u wanna say 'm not usually hot?_

 _Beka: Never said that_.

Yuri grinned, proud of himself. Otabek thought he was hot.

 _Beka: Nice nails too_.

The blonde took a picture of Mila and the KFC bucket and sent it, indicating he wasn't going anywhere soon.

 _Yura: How was your date?_

 _Beka: ?_

"The bastard couldn't take a hint even if it would step on his face" The Russian skater groaned and Mila chuckled.

"And since when are you so subtle, Plisetsky?" She was right – he could be polite, he was skilled but being subtle was not his strong point. He didn't reply because he was annoyed but another text came and he looked at the screen.

 _Beka: Alya, you mean?_ Yuri sighed.

 _Beka: It was not a date, she's my friend._

Blonde eyebrows furrowed.

 _Yura: Lik I care, date who tf you want._

He threw the phone on the table, almost cracking its screen before covering his eyes with a hand, wondering what the hell was going on. Why was he so angry with Otabek when he did nothing wrong? Why was he acting like this when he didn't want to be together with Beka? Mila picked the phone and checked the conversation, eyes widening at the last part.

"What the fuck?" she gasped.

"Shut the fuck up" He wasn't gay, he wasn't the new Viktor Nikiforov. He hated not being to control this thing, he hated being bad at things.

Otabek Altin was looking at the message for the twentieth time in the last 5 minutes and this time it seemed even worse. He was confused and hurt, he hated himself for confessing to Yuri and for destroying everything they had. The blonde made it clear – the feelings were there, they were just not going to be together. He wondered if he was supposed to wait or not, he wanted to ask his friend but he dodged the questions every time. They were growing apart and he wasn't sure how to react to that, after a year of non-stop taking it was hard to be alone once again. He had his friends but they didn't skate so they couldn't understand him fully, also they could be tiring with their goings out and with their insisting for him to date someone.

 _Yura: Lik I care, date who tf you want._

He wasn't sure how to reply. It seemed he was a burden, he was dead weight in Yuri's life so he decided he should move on. Maybe if he found someone new they would go back to being like they were before.

The next few months Otabek dated a lot. He was a good looking guy so it was not hard to find interested girls but none of them was satisfied with his behaviour. He was kind, patient, never demanded anything and overall he was not passionate at all. The fact that he never demanded things, never got mad meant he didn't really care and that upset them. He didn't fail to let Yuri know about dating and the blonde turned out to be grumpier than ever, barely texting him now. He couldn't remember the last time they face-timed. Otabek's birthday passed smoothly, Yuri wished him happy birthday first and sent him a silver bracelet – he had a matching one.

He was in the middle of his birthday party when he received a picture of Yuri holding a cupcake on top of which was a blue candle and smiled at the phone, brushing the screen with his thumb, as if he hoped to feel Yuri's warm skin.

"Otabek – come take a picture with us!" a friend shouted and he excused himself, heading to his bedroom where he locked the door behind him. He dialled Yuri's number.

"Beka?"

"Yura, hi" he said, his voice hoarse. He didn't figure it out at first but soon he felt his cheeks dampen and he brushed the tears away with the back of his hand.

"Are you okay?" He nodded, stupidly before whispering a "yes" and thanking him for the picture and for virtually celebrating his birthday with him. They talked a lot, for the first time in what seemed forever and they would have continued all night if Otabek's friends wouldn't began hitting the door and yelling for him to come out. He ended the call and rested his head against the door, obvious to what was going on around. He wondered if he was ever going to get over Yuri Plisetsky; he wondered if he wanted to.

* * *

Yuri stared at himself in the mirror. His make-up was on fleek, his free-program costume was violet and had sparkling pants, drawing everyone's attention as he walked. The theme was "Strength" and he was going to give his best, he was going to win this year too but that was not what was worrying him. He looked himself in the mirror, he was 17 now and the past year changed him quite a lot, he was taller but just as slender, the hair was longer and he was looking a bit more mature. His cheekbones were higher but that was probably the result of him losing weight and he pulled on his hair annoyed with his image. He was frustrated. Maybe if he would have looked better and acted better people wouldn't have left him behind.

"Yuri, did you borrow my eyeliner?" Mila asked, coming in and looking at him. "You are bomb, kitten"

"Thanks" he muttered and went to look for Viktor and for a place to stretch. He was the first to go and he took a big breath, trying to concentrate on his program. He could win the gold a third time, he was young, he could even surpass Nikiforov, skating was all he had left after all.

"Yura, davai!" His eyes darted towards the public where he found Otabek with his thumbs up, smiling at him like nothing happened. He felt his stomach turning upside down – Otabek was not supposed to be there, he wasn't scheduled to skate but later this afternoon. From that point on, his mind began to cloud and his skating was a fiasco, he had no chance at gold anymore, especially as he ended with a fall. He almost sprained an ankle. Everyone was stunned by the weak representation and he would have cried if he wouldn't have felt so numb. He never experienced such a fail in skating, he wasn't sure how he should act and once the reporters began to ask question Yakov pulled him by the arm, surprised with Yuri's reaction. Normally he would have yelled at them and told them to fuck off, he would have shown middle fingers but his best skater was not himself lately and that was clear. Once they reached the lockers Yakov closed the door behind him.

"Are you alright?" The old man, usually cold and distant was now staring at his pupil, worry enveloping his entire body. Not even Viktor fell so bad during his darkest times and Viktor was a lot more dramatic. Yuri nodded. "You're not fooling anyone, Plisetsky. We're not leaving until you don't tell me what is going on"

"It's none of your goddamn business!" The blonde yelled, snapping out of the numbness.

"I'm your couch!"

"I don't care! Go fuck yourself with your entire team!" He pushed the closest wooden bench with his still hurting foot and stormed out of the place, running out of the place, swimming between reporters and fans. He didn't need any of their bullshit, didn't need pity, didn't need anyone. He took a cab to the hotel room where he stormed into the mini bar and sat on the balcony. Thank God they had Vodka. He sipped the little bottle, without juice, and looked outside, enjoying the sight he had of Prague. It was indeed a beautiful city, too bad he was having such a shitty time. His phone was constantly ringing and he blocked everyone – Yakov, Mila, Viktor, Katsudon, Georgi, even Otabek. For someone who chose "strength" as his theme, he sure was weak.

He was already feeling sick when someone knocked on his door and he tiptoed to see who it was. As expected, it was Otabek Altin himself so he decided to ignore it and sat down on the bed.

"I know you're there, open the door"

"Fuck off!" Yuri groaned.

"Yura" The Kazakh warned. "Please, let me in before someone sees me here" He had his point but it still took a few moments for the blonde to unlock the door and his friend came in, looking at him with a straight face. Yuri went to the mini-fridge where he grabbed another small bottle – this one of Jaeger. "Have you eaten?" No answer. "Yura"

"I let you in because you don't need a scandal, that doesn't mean I will talk to you" He jumped on the bed where he began to drink, staring at the ceiling. Otabek changed too, he saw that on his Instagram, he had a few piercings in each ear now and he got a little taller and buffer too. He had a broad back, unlike himself – he turned out to be a very attractive man.

"Yura" The Kazakh said gently, grabbing the little bottle out of his friend's fingers. "Stop this"

"Who the fuck do you think you are, Altin?" The Russian yelled. "Go back to your fucking perfect life, you obnoxious fuck!" Otabek stared at the blonde, no expression on his face. He didn't take it to the heart, in two years he learnt well enough that this was Yuri's defence mechanism. He went closer and reached for the blonde's cheek, slowly leaning towards him.

"It's okay" The punk hissed and tried to get away but Otabek grabbed his wrist, holding him in place.

"I hate you, fucking shithead!" He shouted and the first punch came. A fist fell across Otabek's cheek hard enough to make him wince in pain. The others fell on his chest but he didn't complain, he let the anger come out along with a lot of other curses."I hate you! I hate you!" He yelled again and again and Otabek swore he never saw someone break as quickly and as tragically before his eyes. Tears began to stream down his face as he continued to violently assault the person in front of him and the sobs echoed inside the room; they were not silent, it was a howl, the type of crying a hurt animal would make. It wasn't graceful, it wasn't pretty to witness, nothing cinematographic in it – it made Otabek swallow, pained at the sight.

"It's fine, Yura" he murmured again and again. "You're alright" They were pathetic lines but he had no better things to say, he simply waited until the blonde calmed down a little and forced him into a hug, holding him flushed against his chest. Yuri was still struggling but he didn't weaken the hold until the blonde fell limp in his arms. Yuri's heavy breathing was still painful to witness, just like the tears that wouldn't stop but Otabek wiped them away gently with a hand, supporting the slim body with the other. "It's okay, I'm here with you" he whispered in his ear and Yuri shuddered.

"Who won?"

"JJ. I came third and you came fourth" The Kazakh said and tried to smoothen the furrowed eyebrows in front of him. "Everyone's worried"

"I don't care"

"Yura" he admonished, running his fingers through blonde hair. He missed this, it's been too long. It's been almost a year since they've seen each other, since he could smell and touch him but Yuri was there and they were together now. "I missed you" he whispered and the Russian shivered in his arms because he missed him so much too.

"I'm sorry I hit you" His face was buried in the Kazakh's neck and he slowly gripped tighter on the body in front of him.

"Don't worry about it. I want to know what happened" Otabek pulled away gently to look at the still tear-stained face, searching for those beautiful green eyes he was so in love with. Yuri's nose was red and his lips were parted slightly, helping him breathe. Even like this he was the most beautiful person Beka ever saw, he was breath-taking. His eyes slipped downwards on the skating costume that still hadn't come off and he frowned when he saw how much the ribs were showing, the teen was skinnier than before.

Yuri couldn't easily talk about himself, he's been dealing with problem all his life so it wasn't like he could just blurt out his thoughts and get over with it. He shifted uncomfortable, feeling his eyes cloud once again and Otabek rested against the bed frame, pulling his friend in his arms once again.

"Whatever it is, I am sure you can surpass it... we could surpass it" Otabek whispered and Yuri closed his eyes.

"I'm ne – never good enough, Beka" he winced. "I fuck up, I am fucked up" he swallowed hard, his throat hurting and looked up, ready to find disgust. Otabek's eyes were filled with nothing close to disgust, they were watching him with kindness and patience.

"That is not true"

"But it is!" The blonde yelled, tearing himself apart from his friend. "It doesn't matter how many medals I win, I am still worthless, people don't like me..."

"You have an entire family who loves you, Yura – you have your grandpa, your team, even Lilia and Yakov. You have Sofyia." Yuri let out a sarcastic smile at his cat's name. "You have me" The last part was harder than he thought it would be to say, he felt the words burning his tongue on their way out.

"Beka" was all that Yuri managed to say, his voice small. Otabek's face was a picture of remorse, he wasn't supposed to bring his feelings up again, that only hurt Yuri more.

"You're the reason why I wanted so bad to become a figure skater. Back then, when we were children, you were the most beautiful sight my eyes ever witnessed. I knew I wasn't as talented as you but I wanted to be on the same ice-rink as you. I wanted to never have to stop watching you skate." Yuri's breath hitched but there was no going back right now.

"Beka"

"Don't say you're a fuck up ever again" Otabek muttered, watching him straight in the eye. Yuri grinned, a little forced, his face flooded with silent tears.

"Fuck!" he gasped. The Kazakh was ready to be kicked out any moment now so he looked down at his hands, expecting the worst. "You're annoying, Altin." He said, his face becoming straight. "I can't stand you"

"Too bad" Otabek sassed back, surprising Yuri.

"I'm shit with people and I'll probably make your life a living hell" The blonde gulped. "But I... I have come to terms with my feelings." The Kazakh looked up, incredulous, seeing the teen's cheeks were burning a bright pink. "I like you" It was selfish of him to expect Otabek to take him back, it was also selfish to say what he was feeling was "like" because it sure was more than that but that was all he could manage for the moment.

"As a friend?" Yuri threw him a raging glance.

"As in I want to kiss you and hold your hand and shit" He took a big breath. "I would even share my piroschkis with you" The Kazakh smiled, feeling his face heating and wondering just how many times he imagined this moment.

"Yura" Trembling fingers brushed through tangled and golden strands.

"Just say what you want already, goddamn it!" He was trying to seem brave but he was shaking.

"I want you" This time Otabek left his manners aside, deciding there were other times when he could be a gentleman and leaned for a starved kiss, making Yuri close his eyes only when their lips locked together. He was tasting of vodka but he was completely sober now, taking in everything that was going on. It wasn't a gentle kiss like they shared before, Otabek was rough and desperate, as if he was making sure they would not break this time. Yuri's arms wrapped around him and he ungracefully climbed in his lap, not breaking the contact for a moment. When they parted, Yuri sighed disappointed but didn't admit, resting his forehead against Otabek's.

"Again" he said after a while and the Kazakh widened his eyes. "I said again" Yuri smirked and the boy complied, licking gently the already wet lips. His tongue danced across the entrance and Yuri went with it naturally, opening his mouth and letting his friend – no, boyfriend – taste him completely, tongues brushing against each other. It was the first time Yuri was French kissing so he wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to do but he tried to mimic Otabek, not caring that they teeth collided from time to time. It felt intimate and he needed it, he wanted to be so close to Beka that nothing could stand between them, he craved him.

When they finally parted for air they were both breathing heavily and Yuri rested his head against Otabek's neck, feeling his lips tingly and swollen.

"It was the first time I..." he gulped and Otabek forced his face to look up, studying his eyes. He knew the blonde was inexperienced, that because he hated most people but he never thought he was this inexperienced. He felt like he corrupted him so he began to worry.

"Do you like it?"

"If I fucking like it?" Yuri shouted. "I could give up ballet and skating to do that all day, Altin!" His happiness was contrasting his red face but it was understandable as he was only now recovering from a storm of feelings.

"Really?" Otabek grinned – a rare sight.

"I might come to visit you every weekend just to do this shit" Yuri continued and the older boy laughed.

"Please do, then" Two hands gripped his shirt and a blonde head pressed against his chest.

"Yakov will go nuts when he'll here we're dating" The sounds were muffled but the happiness was obvious. He stopped the babbling and looked up as if he saw the sun for the first time. He straightened his back and placed a chaste and loving kiss on Otabek's lips before hiding his expression once again, relaxing into the safety of the other's arms.

"I know" The Kazakh smiled, rubbing his back in a soothing manner. They didn't say anything for a while, until Yuri grabbed his phone and entered the Russian team's chat to write:

 _Yurio: Chill ur dumb asses, I'm w/ Beka. C u 2morrow._

He then switched to camera and asked Otabek to pose for a few selfies. He looked horrible because of the crying, his skin was red and his make-up was smeared but he couldn't give less fucks.

"I'm not gonna post any, just want to have memories of this night" He said to Beka who simply shrugged, not caring that much about these stuff. "Or should I post one to make it official?"

"Do you really want to have me killed so soon?" Otabek asked and Yuri laughed, agreeing. Yakov was not going to take things easy, especially not after Viktor and Katsudon. He didn't have to ask the Kazakh if he was going to stay the night because he already knew the answer so after taking a shower and changing into leggings and a black t-shirt he snuggled in bed, head resting close to a fast-beating heart. He wasn't even mad anymore about the Grand Prix – he knew that he won something far more important than a gold medal.

* * *

A/N: _Thank you so much for reading my story! I hope you enjoyed it, I loved reading all your reviews, you're all sweethearts! Also, feel free to leave suggestions for other stories including Yuri and Beka¬ **Thank you! xo**_


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